


GALAXY // ON HOLD

by Madde



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: CEO Shin Hoseok | Wonho, Children, Cigarettes, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Gangs, Guns, Knives, M/M, Marijuana, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shin Hoseok | Wonho is a Softie, Slow Burn, Violence, bad parent hyungwon and good parent wonho, everyone has nicknames for protection, fic is mostly centered on kids and parents, gang leader wonho, gang stuff is mostly in the background, single parent hyungwon, single parent wonho, this fic is mostly about wonho loving his kids very very much and hyungwon learning how to love his
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-01-16 14:14:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18523216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madde/pseuds/Madde
Summary: "i hold the sun, the moon and the stars in my arms"





	1. PROLOGUE

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for giving this fic a try <3 
> 
> im fairly new to monsta x and the fandom, but this ship has grown on me very fast and I decided to give my first monsta x fic a try. i can't promise the updates will be fast, because im in my exam months, but ill try to meet expectations.
> 
> feedback helps a lot <3
> 
> ~ MADDE

"what would you do if i asked you to follow... let's say... sketchy sounding orders without giving you any background information on the situation?"

hyungwon gulped, feeling hot sweat form around his hairline and temples, from both the stressful environment and the massive fireplace located 10 meters in front of him, wood crackling loudly every now and then, filling up the deafening silence of the large office. the second he entered the room he was asked to sit on the empty, burgundy bergere armchair, it's skin sophisticated and details intricate. the office smelt like warmth and burnt wood, a heavy, earthy scent coming directly from the other person breathing the shared air. the room was dark, no light coming in from anywhere, apart from the hellish fireplace, that was making hyungwon both dizzy and anxious. he has been told beforehand that he will be asked two questions and two questions only, and the man sitting in the other chair, scent dark and tangy, dark eyes fixed on the fire, has hesitated over 15 minutes before asking the first one. 

"i would do it" 

hyungwon knew what he was getting himself into, so making it complicated and overthinking the questions wouldn't be the best decision. he was getting old, and he was completely aware of it. he's been in the modeling industry since he was 6 and was spotted in his first year of school, and immediately scouted for a school uniform commercial. he's been into it since, and in his late teenage - young adult years, he went as far as modeling for the biggest fashion brands, even his all time favourites. he very recently turned 30, though, and as much as he would love to model his whole life, he was being requested on less and less occasions, sometimes not even once a month. 

hyungwon needed easy money and he was willing to do anything for it, especially considering the situation he had back at home.

"what do you think about children?"

hearing the creamy tone of the others deep voice startled hyungwon from his own running thoughts, and he realised a lot more time has passed once again, maybe even more than the first time. he was full on sweating now, his uncut, silky black hair sticking to the back of his neck, his chest feeling constricted under the leather jacket he was wearing, mindful of the chilly, early autumn weather from the outside, yet not expecting the appalling warmth from the inside.

hyungwon gulped once again, contemplating the question carefully. with the bare minimum information he knew about the disreputable job he was trying to get, only the first question of the two made sense. the second, though, seemed to be something personal, a 50/50 chance at getting into the other man's good side, a sheer matter of subjectivity, and hyungwon blanked for a few good minutes. he decided on a whim to follow his own heart, hoping to get into the good 50% of the deal.

"i love children" 

hyungwon cheered himself in his head for finally answering, keeping his voice steady and confident. if there was one thing that his father taught him, it was to be confident in your words and in your choices, both having helped him enormously in the modeling industry, and in real life. he even came to teach those words himself those days, and he couldn't be happier to have people listen to them. it made him feel fulfiled.

the man closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, holding the air in his lungs for a few good seconds, before letting it out slowly. he raised to his feet and turned towards the door, his ridiculously broad back lit up by the light provided by the fireplace. the man was dressed in what seemed to be a black shirt, hugging his back and arms tightly, yet not suffocatingly, conferring his muscles a great shape. he cracked his knuckles before slapping his own thigh, as if calling a pet dog, not even turning around to look at the other. hyungwon raised an eyebrow and decided not to act on it, hoping he misunderstood the revolting gesture. the man tutted disappointingly.

"come"


	2. EPISODE 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first chapter is finally up. thank you to everyone who was patient. feedback is my personal nectar. much love
> 
> ~MADDE

hyungwon wasn't requested at his new job for over a month after he went to the unsettling interview. the man whose name he still wasn't aware of, whom hyungwon still hoped will one day call 'boss', has escorted him to the front exit of the fancy hotel right after going through the nerve-wracking two questions, and left him in the dark, literally (it was way past midnight when he left the building) and figuratively, for 42 days. 

yet there was he again, roaming through the private parts of the hotel, passing through poorly illuminated hallways, level after level, door after door, until he stopped abruptly in front of a large, double door, dark wood in colour, a shiny, golden plaque adorning it. he contemplated knocking, or just walking inside, mindful of the words engraved in the plaque, in cursive writing, all black and pretty.

'galaxy', hyungwon whispered so mutely, inaudible ever for his own ears. he knew he reached his right destination, at least, since the same word was given to him at the second reception of the hotel, the secluded one, placed in a dark corner, easily mistaken for a mere, abandoned office. the man shakily raised his left hand, bony, slender fingers tightly closing into a fist, before knocking twice on the door, the second louder than the first.

commotion could be heard almost immediately from the other side of the exquisite wooden doors, and hyungwon counted 7 locks being unlocked before the doors opened, cold air and harsh icy lights invading his senses. he moved back a step, squinting his eyes, before locking his sight to the short figure that let him inside. 

at a second look, the person who opened the doors, a boy, from all hyungwon could see, couldn't have been taller than a 10 year old, his head barely reaching hyungwon's chest. the boy had jet black hair, buzzed down into an undercut at the sides, the top of his head just a tad bit longer, yet not even long enough to card your fingers through. despite his incredibly youthful appearance, the boy's ears were adorned with metal studs and loops, a small chain connecting the helix of his left ear to the bottom of it. the boy was dressed stupidly smart, with a black shirt and a black tie, fancy black pants and dress shoes, a dark trench coat draped over his shoulders, reaching past his knees. all his fingers were covered in black metal, and he seemed to have a little dark star on the back of his left hand, on the skin between his thumb and pointer. 

the boy looked like a miniature grown man, and hyungwon felt his heartbeat picking up at the peculiar sight.

he gulped when he was politely invited in by the boy, who stepped aside from the door. hyungwon stepped inside the room at a terribly slow pace, and flinched when the doors behind him closed loudly, all 7 locks back in function soon after, shut one by one.

the tall man looked around the room, and quickly recognised the large fireplace he was stood in front last time he was at the hotel, even if this time it was empty of any wood, just a small grey pile of ashes inside. the office seemed a lot larger, now that it was properly illuminated, and hyungwon felt smaller than ever, anxiety creeping up on him at the overly sizeable place. the walls of the office were a deep blood red, except for the wall the fireplace was on, which had a dark stone design. the wall opposite of the fireplace was actually a gigantic bookcase, floor to ceiling, one wall to the other, and hyungwon sworn under his breath. he'd never seen that many books in the same bookcase, not even at his university library, which was the third largest in the whole country. in the middle of the room there were chairs scattered, same as the burgundy bergere ones hyungwon sat on a month ago. the wall opposite the door was covered by a large circular painting, of a star (the same one that seemed to be on the back of the boy's hand), a moon and a sun, all black, all three different points of a triangle.

before hyungwon could question the bizarrity of the whole thing, a small hand caught the hem of his shirt, and slowly dragged him to one of the fancy chairs. the child also sat himself on a chair opposite of hyungwon, yet still close enough to him, and the man snorted at the sight of the boys legs that couldn't even reach the ground. the kid looked far too serious and mature for his age.

random objects were scattered around the office, from large, open books on every surface, documents and ripped papers on the wooden desk, to markers and crayons and colorful toys and plushies all over the floor. different paintings adorned every open space on all walls, and hyungwon could recognise famous klee and matisse works. hyungwon propped his hands on his knees, ready to stand on his feet again, when a door opening and closing behind him startled him, and he remained frozen in his chair. the boy sat opposite from him grinned at the sight of whoever entered the office, his eyes growing into pretty crescents. he looked even more like a innocent child, despite his mature appearance.

"chae hyungwon" the same, silky voice that hyungwon heard a month ago spoke, with determination and confidence, and hyungwon's breath hitched. he raised from his seat and turned around, to a sight that will forever be engraved in his mind. 

a man, the boss, preferably *his* boss, stood tall and proud, a black shirt hugging his muscles tightly, sleeves rolled up to reveal fully tattooed arms. he wore fancy pants and dress shoes, just like the boy that greeted hyungwon, and his ears were even heavier with metal. his collarbones were on show, provided by the opened buttons from the top of his shirt, and tattoos were peaking at the sides of his neck. what completely took hyungwon's breath away, though, was the man's face. 

he had black hair, in a very similar style to the boy's, yet his was left a lot longer on top, soft bangs covering his forehead. he had the most innocent looking eyes, soft and bright, and his smile was dazzling and precious, almost resembling a little bunny. despite his dark appearance and words, the man looked...soft.

most shocking than everything else were the other two boys, same eyes and smiles as the man's, and also the kid's behind hyungwon. the man was holding one of them on his hip, the smallest one between the three of them, that didn't look any older than 5 years old. he was dressed in the completely opposite way from everyone else, with yellow dungarees and a baby blue sweater, his little feet only covered in mismatched, colourful socks, one yellow without dinosaurs and one sky blue with clouds. his ears were clean, except for the single, little silver helix loop he had on his left one, as if he was branded. the little boy gave hyungwon a shy smile before shoving his face in the man's neck. the latter kissed his soft messy black hair gently. 

the second boy that entered with the man, that seemed to be the middle child out of the 3 boys, looked the most different out of all of them. he had round, golden glasses propped up on his little nose, and despite his short height, barely reaching the other man's waist, he seemed to carry himself with the outmost superiority, a cold, intimidating look in his eyes, that none of the other strangers in the room shared. he was dressed almost the same as the oldest boy, fancy suit and trench coat, yet his shirt was white, and he lost the tie, the first buttons of the shirt opened up. he had one hand shoved in his pocket, the other one holding a large black book, which he brought up to his chest, holding it dearly. 

"i would address you by your name as well, sir, but i'm afraid i still don't know it" hyungwon bowed in a useless apology, his eyes downcast. 

"daddy, who's the pretty man?" the smallest boy asked boldly, starting to gain courage. the man holding him - their father, as hyungwon presumed, yet just found out for sure - shushed him softly, before kissing his soft rosy cheek.

"you'll know soon, my little sun" the man spoke with so much adoration it made hyungwon smile. "it's no problem that you don't know my name, chae hyungwon, because my name is not important to you, or to anyone for that matter" the man changed his tone completely when he spoke to hyungwon, and it was making the latter's heartbeat pick up. the man raised his free hand and ushered the oldest kid to join him, and the boy flew right past hyungwon, to his father's left, right in front of the middle child. seeing them all right next to each other took hyungwon by surprise; they looked so similar it was shocking. 

"then what should I call you, sir?" hyungwon asked, still staring at the kids. everything was messing up his brain.

"well, you already call me sir, don't you? boss could also be an option" the man spoke confidently. hyungwon felt himself breathing out, relieved at the information that he, indeed, had the job. "but people call me galaxy, because I hold the sun, the moon and the stars in my arms and heart" his boss continued, squishing all the boys together between his arms. the little boy started giggling, and the oldest grinned at his father, yet the middle remained just as emotionless, though was shoving himself closer to the adult. all the paintings kind of made sense after the new information, yet everything still seemed weird to hyungwon. he felt like he joined a cult that worshiped 3 kids instead of gods.

"daddy, I wanna play with the pretty man" the youngest was squirming in his father's arms, shyness long forgotten. the man propped him better on his hip and silenced him once again. 

"not yet baby boy, we haven't finished talking. say, chae hyungwon, what's the most important thing in your life?" the man asked, cocking his head to one side. the question took hyungwon by surprise, and he remained motionless for a few seconds, before collecting himself once again. 

"I'm not sure, sir. probably my-"

"my boys, chae hyungwon. that's the most important thing in your life from now on" the other interrupted him, changing his tone once again. "i'm a busy man. even though my boys can care and protect themselves, even my little sun right here, I still need someone to take care of them. none of them go to school, because they don't need it. you don't need to cook for them, because we have a personal chef that they can call at any time of the day, and you don't need to drive them around, because they're not allowed outside, except in some particular situations, in which I am absolutely always partake of. all you have to do, chae hyungwon, is entertain them" the man finished his monologue and finally set his youngest down, but not after covering his face in soft kisses once more. 

"may i know their names, sir?" hyungwon asked, a smile painted on his face at the sight of the youngest now hiding behind his father's leg. 

"you could know their names, chae hyungwon, but if you did, I'd have to kill you"

 

~

 

"no, minhyuk, i'm telling you, the dude is both fucking creepy and the sweetest muscle pig i've seen in my entire life. he literally looks like a bunny with a sumo costume on, and he's covered in tattoos and I swear he has a gun on him at every second. I've seen its shape on his stupidly fancy clothes" hyungwon kept his voice low, aware of the contract he signed just a day before, that would get him more or less wiped out from the face of the earth if he ever dared to disclose any information about his work place or family that hired him, even the smallest details that he wasn't even given. it was completely understandable though, that he had to tell his best friend everything that happened; it was in the best friend 101 guide that he and minhyuk wrote years back, on the back of a history notebook when they were in middle school. hyungwon still has it. 

"why are you even talking about him? aren't you his kids' babysitter? shouldn't you be more interested in the actual children than their creepy gang member father?" minhyuk took a sip from his ridiculously sweetened coffee. his friend was right, his only concerns were the peculiar little boys, yet they were in the darkness just as much as their father.

"I don't even know their names, minhyuk. boss calls them 'sun, moon and star'. those are literally their nicknames. it's like he worships his own children, it's fucking weird, I'm telling you" hyungwon sighed, curling a black strand of hair behind his ear. he only met the kids once and he already knew the job wasn't that great of an idea. 

"come on, hyungwon-ah, they're children. little boys. just play hide and seek with them and read some princess books before their naps, and take the good money that you're getting out of this. if I were you I wouldn't complain about not knowing shit, especially with that paycheck" minhyuk spoke fast and precise as always, covering fair points. "there is a problem that comes with all this, though-" the man with ridiculous pure white hair muttered under his breath, almost inaudible. hyungwon gulped, anticipating his next words, "-what are you planning to do with rae-"

hyungwon raised his hand to stop minhyuk from his questioning at the sound of his phone ringing, with a specific ringtone chosen for one, single, individual contact. the black haired fished his phone out of the inside pocket of his coat and licked his lips before pressing his phone to his ear.

"i need you at the hotel. go to the room you went to last time. one ofmy boys will guide you from there"

simple and curt, no hello's or goodbye's. hyungwon contemplated finishing the contract before even 24 hours could have passed. the black haired muttered a "duty calls" under his breath before rushing out of the café and inside a cab, leaving behind a confused and sceptical minhyuk.

 

~

 

"hello...uhm... I'm sorry but I'm not exactly sure how to call you" 

hyungwon cursed in his head first thing after entering the bizzare office, at the sight of the middle child that stood in front of the enormous bookcase, his lithe pointer finger softly touching alongside a row of books. he was dressed similarly to what he wore the day before, yet his hair wasn't tamed at all, black locks messy as if he woke up not long ago. the boy acted as emotionless as always, completely ignoring hyungwon after he entered the room, and especially after he asked his question.

"your father called me and asked me to come here. he said you'll take me somewhere after" hyungwon tried once again, hoping the boy knew of his father's plans. hyungwon guessed he didn't, though, since the kid completely ignored him once again, in favour of pulling out a thick book with a dark green cover out of the bookcase. he started rummaging through it, as if he knew exactly what he was looking for, before he stopped at a page and turned the book for hyungwon to see. it was the picture of a painting.

"i'm guessing you like art a lot, kid" hyungwon stated, pointing at the book and then at the other painting hanged on the wall, a produce of the same artist. the boy nodded. "i prefer munch" the statement seemed to take the boy by surprise, whose eyes widened, but just for a quick second, before returning to their usual cold glare. the boy shoved the book back in its place before tapping is own wrist, as if asking for the time. "half past eleven" hyungwon stated and received a curt nod in return. the kid motioned for him to follow.

they left by the door at the back of the office, the one his boss came in the day before. after stepping through more hallways passing by some more rooms and going another floor down with an elevator, the boy stopped in front of wooden door, and stuck his ear to it, listening intently. after no longer than a few seconds he decided to enter the room, not bothering to knock or anything of that matter. hyungwon followed closely.

"i thought i've told you to knock, moon-ah. many times before, if i remember correctly" 

his boss was in the furthest seat of a long conference table, with two other people, one on each side of him. his youngest boy was on his lap, fast asleep, his face pressed in the adults neck, his little legs on each side of the man's thighs. his boss was gently stroking the little boy's back. 

the kid nicknamed 'moon' raised both his hands, middle fingers heavy with metal soon directed towards his father. the man simply smiled and ushered him over with his free hand. when the boy reached him he received a gentle kiss to the temple and the lightest tap on his behind.

"don't be such a grim little shit. you're cuter when you smile" galaxy spoke nasty words with a kind voice, the antithesis throwing hyungwon off. the way he preciously held the sleeping boy in his branded arms, like he was his biggest treasure, wasn't helping either. 

moon raised his hands once again and began moving them very fast, in specific motions that reminded hyungwon of.. sign language?

hyungwon cursed himself in his own head for not realising faster. at first, the middle child's lack of spoken word seemed more like a choice, of a stubborn, arrogant boy, yet the more hyungwon thought about it, he hasn't seen the kid speak with anyone, not even his own father or brothers. moon didn't seem to have any hearing implants anywhere around his ears though, so hyungwon was left in the dark once again. 

galaxy smiled even brighter at whatever his kid told him, obviously knowing of sign language. he brought him closer once again, and carded his fingers gently through the boys messy locks. 

"you're my cutest boy moonie" his boss spoke with adoration. "but don't let the baby know I've told you that" he continued with a whisper, before kissing the middle boy's little nose. 

"your kid's mute" 

the words were spoken with confusion and brought all open eyes in the room to hyungwon, who hasn't even realised it was him who addressed the matter. the other two people looked at hyungwon with horror, wide eyes piercings through rather frightened, before they looked at galaxy as if asking permission to leave. the man gave a curt nod, smile long forgotten, and the other two left in a hurry, rushing out the door behind hyungwon. when there were only the 4 left in the room, one still fast asleep and unknowing of the situation, hyungwon scrambled out an apology.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to be disrespectful, please don't fire me already" hyungwon was bowing now, his eyes tightly shut as he bent over. he couldn't be fired on his first actual day at his new workplace, that would be a catastrophe. he still very much needed the good money, there was no way he would be able to support three people with the little pay he made from the random insubstantial modeling jobs. 

"chae hyungwon look at me" galaxy spoke clear and with determination, and all hyungwon could do was oblige. "I'm not firing you, that would be stupid of me. my little sun likes you for some reason, and I'm not going to send you away just yet" the man looked down at the small sleeping boy as he spoke of him. "it's okay if you have questions about my kids, you're supposed to babysit them anyway. although I'm pretty sure they'll end up babysitting you more" galaxy laughed at the end, and it sounded all pretty and precious. "so please, if you have any questions, ask them, and if I deem them worthy and safe to answer, I will" 

"your kid's mute" hyungwon repeated himself ungraciously, still a big shaken up about it. moon rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of himself, glaring ugly at hyungwon.

"moon isn't mute. well, not exactly mute. just selectively so. he's only ever spoken with me and his brothers, since he was born" galaxy said sadly, propping his head on his hand. "sweetheart is just 9 and he knows 6 languages, yet he can only speak them with 3 other people, one of which babbles more than talks. I try learning for him but there's so much time I have myself. also, russian and arabic and whatever goes on inside that little head is a little bit too ahead for me"

the kid was 9 and knew how to communicate in such languages? hyungwon was both impressed and frightened. he wasn't sure if he wanted to know any more about the boys, especially the little one, after finding out that his fate was written by a kid that didn't even reach his waist. 

as if he somehow was aware of what hyungwon was thinking about, the youngest boy suddenly raised his head from his father's chest, half asleep eyes searching the room. the boy looked confused at the sight of hyungwon, yet seemed to gather his thoughts after a few seconds. he broke into a smile soon after, face lightning up like the sun itself, and hyungwon wondered if that was how he got his nickname. 

"the pretty man!" he exclaimed and squirmed out of his father's hold, and rushed to hyungwon as soon as his little mismatched sock clad feet touched the ground. not knowing what else to do hyungwon bent down and picked the boy up, immediately receiving a tight hug in return, messy black locks tickling his nose.

"hello baby" hyungwon spoke awkwardly, not quite sure how he was allowed to speak to the kid's yet. the little one seemed excited about the nickname, though, so he deemed it good until he was told otherwise.

"daddy, can I please keep the pretty man?" the boy aksed as if hyungwon was property, yet his father made no attempt at correcting him in any way. hyungwon felt disrespected but kept it to himself for the time being. 

"of course my little sun. you can have whatever you want in this entire world" galaxy smiled so bright it lit up the entire room. he raised to his feet quickly after, and moved towards hyungwon. "okay now. I called you because I'm busy today. I have to go somewhere and I'll have to leave the building, so I won't be close if anything happens to my babies. I'm taking my oldest with me -no, moon, you're not allowed to come, chae hyungwon is here to make sure you don't sneak up on one of my actions once again- so please, don't disappoint me. you have the biggest treasures in this world in your care, so care for them properly and you'll be rewarded, with both good money and your own life" the man suddenly pulled out a gun, pretending to check if it's loaded, yet hyungwon knew it was more of a threat. he shoved the gun back in his pants, before quickly showering both his boys with kisses as a goodbye. he made a turn for the door yet stopped at his last step and turned around once more.

"moon-ah, if anything is to happen to you or baby sun, guns are somewhere around all rooms, you know where to find them. shoot legs, don't shoot fatal points. if anyone tries to mess up with any of my babies they don't deserve to die fast" galaxy spoke casually, and moon was taking everything in with knowing nods. "protect chae hyungwon if it comes to it too. your baby brother would be disappointed if his new toy was gone that fast" 

galaxy was gone just like that, leaving hyungwon with two little brats and a heavy tongue in his mouth.


	3. EPISODE 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next part is finally up. feedback is my motivation. much love~  
> ~MADDE

78 hours. 

 

78 hours of ugly snarls and middle fingers, of hide and seek and naps, of curious eyes and annoying whining. 

 

it took galaxy 78 hours to make his way back to the hotel, to his property and his two youngest, who hyungwon came to, more or less, tolerate. 

 

they weren't that bad per se, obviously. the little boy was a precious gem, always smiling and changing the mood for the better. with his cute smile and little lisp it was obvious; the youngest boy was a treasure for everyone working under his father. all that was bothering hyungwon about him was his constant whining, a produce of him constantly getting what he desires at every time of the day, every single day. the fact that the boy was constantly attached to his father showed as well; he asked for galaxy every other hour, especially when he was sleepy. one of the guards at the hotel (who seemed to be relatively close to the kids, as they always jumped around him whenever they saw him. he introduced himself as shownu, a nickname for personal protection, he argued) told hyungwon that sun never slept alone. whether he was napping or sleeping at night, the baby slept in his fathers arms, or in the worst case scenario, cuddling one of his brothers (preferably both). hyungwon seemed to take the first role in the over 3 days that he had to spend with the boys, and allowed sun to sleep in his arms. 

 

moon, on the other hand, was beyond exasperating. the boy was only 9 but apparently every time his father wasn't in the building, he became the boss of everyone around (the guard, shownu, told him that moon was second in command, even above his older brother. that mostly explained the attitude of the boy, mind clearly working as one of an adult's. he was stripped away from his childhood when he became the heir of the business, and he had to be as intimidating as possible, even at his unripe age). evidently, he became the boss of hyungwon as well, for the 3 days they spent together. it was more than clear that the second born loathed hyungwon; he made it very difficult for the adult to understand him, refusing to text or write his requests like he did with everyone else in the hotel. all the boy did was glare at him and send him middle fingers when he was addressed, obviously aware of western culture. the only time moon seemed to chill out with his ministrations was late at night or early in the morning, when the sleepy state got the best of him and he turned into the child he was supposed to be, even for a few minutes. hyungwon always cherised those short moments the most. 

 

it seemed as if both boys somehow knew exactly when their father re-entered the building, along with their oldest hyung, even if they were in the most secluded rooms of the hotel, as far away as possible from the outside world. moon let go of his book and marched towards the door, clapping his hands to attract his little brother's attention. sun immediately squealed in excitement and started dragging hyungwon by the sleeve out of the well known office of galaxy. 

 

they seemed to think alike, though, because the second moon unlocked the seventh lock on the large doors, he was met with galaxy, tall and proud, in his usual full black attire, an arm thrown over his oldest son's shoulder. the baby squealed at the sight of his father and was immediately picked up and smothered with kisses all over. as he entered his office, galaxy stopped to ruffle moon's hair gently and peck him softly. the middle child wasn't fast enough to dodge, and immediately started communicating in his own way, a snarl on his face. 

 

"I'll stop kissing you when you turn 30. but I might just keep on doing it even after if I feel like kissing my baby" galaxy was smiling ear to ear, contradictory to his son. hyungwon suddenly felt like he was a fifth wheel, still not completely used to seeing the father interact with his sons.

 

the boss threw himself on a chair, holding his youngest close to his heart with both arms, as he would hold the most precious thing in the world. he beckoned his second to join him on the chair, and squished him on his other side. hyungwon heard a door closing and realised the oldest boy just left the room.

 

"so, babies, what did you do those days?" 

 

"nu hyung got me a new plushie, it's a mermaid! and she has pretty purple hair and her tail is silver. I played with her everyday, but I played with my other plushies too so they won't feel lonely" the baby started rambling, many words failing to leave his mouth properly because of his cute lisp. galaxy seemed to understand all his words perfectly though, and cooed at him preciously. 

 

"that's great baby. did you sleep with moonie hyung and the mermaid?" galaxy asked, aware of his youngest sleeping schedule. hyungwon froze. he hasn't asked if he was allowed to sleep with the boy, but he did anyway. he had little to no contact available with his boss after the man left the building, since he was specifically asked to only ever call if it was the most concerning emergency, one that not even the many guards left at the hotel couldn't solve themselves. a sleeping schedule clearly wasn't the most concerning emergency.

"wonie hyung slept with me! he said he doesn't mind sleeping with me like daddy does" sun looked back at hyungwon, a wide, pretty smile on his face. he really did deserve his nickname. 

"is that so?" galaxy seemed surprised at the information. sun nodded excitedly against his father's chest, his head barely missing the adult's chin. "he's never slept with anyone that isn't me or my boys before, let alone a stranger" the man continued, a fond look on his face. "you surprise me more and more, chae hyungwon"

hyungwon breathed out relieved that he wasn't in trouble. it was weird, constantly thinking about pleasing his superior and not getting on his bad side. hyungwon was 30 years old, he's had many bosses before and he's been through enough things in his life. it seemed as if everything was erased with galaxy, and all that mattered was getting on the other man's good side. hyungwon felt tied up. 

focusing back on the trio and ignoring his thoughts, hyungwon was met with moon actively communicating with his father, hands moving faster than he's ever seen before. at the questions and responses from the adult, hyungwon guessed moon was just running him over what happened in the 3 days he wasn't at the property, reporting events. hyungwon realized they started talking about him when galaxy suddenly looked at him, a frown painted on his face. 

"you haven't left the hotel in 3 days" galaxy stated more than questioned. for some reason, he seemed as if he knew something that hyungwon didn't. "don't you have better things to do, at least later in the night? early in the mornings? I never specifically told you to stay here for more than a day, after all" the boss continued, his voice laced with disappointment. why was hyungwon being scolded? he thought he did his job. 'keep the boys entertained, make sure moon isn't leaving anywhere'. he did those things, so what was happening?

"uh.. I thought I was supposed to stay with your boys here" hyungwon stated awkwardly, his sight set in-between his own feet. he felt inferior. 

"who was with the kids those 3 whole days, chae hyungwon?" galaxy asked, seeming more upset and upset for some reason.

"I was? moon just you I was here the whole time, sir. it's the truth, I really was" hyungwon rambled confused, his words stuttered.

"not mine, hyungwon. yours. who was with your twins those 3 days?"

 

~

 

he knows too much minhyuk-ah. way too much. he knows where I live, he knows how I live, he even knows about the damned twins-"

"they're not damned won, they're your fucking children" minhyuk interrupted him, an ugly snarl painted on his pretty face. it didn't really look agressive at all, as hyungwon thought it actually made him look a bit cute. fuck minhyuk and his gorgeous face.

"yes, whatever. he knows about everything. and when I asked him how, he just goes out on me like 'what, did you think I'd let anyone near my babies before knowing everything there is about that person?'" hyungwon mimicked, doing a bad impression of galaxy that didn't seem to amuse minhyuk in any way. 

"fine, he knows about the kiddos. so what? why do you suddenly care so much hyungwon, you never did. literally never." minhyuk muttered, obviously getting annoyed at the topic. hyungwon was his best friend but he was full of bullshit when it came to his children. he was so far from an actual father, and minhyuk was always caught in the middle; being the best friend of the man that never asked for children, and being the children's godfather. it was hell and minhyuk hated it all.

"because apparently, he wants them in the hotel tomorrow at 8 sharp. I don't even know if they're awake at that hour! hyuk, you gotta help me. I can't even manage myself, let alone those two. they need to like.. eat and piss. how would I even manage that?" 

as much as minhyuk hated hyungwon for behaving the way he did with his poor children, he couldn't blame him for all of it. sure, he was part of their making, as the first (and last) time he did it with a girl, he was almost passed out drunk (he was so sure he didn't like the opposite sex, but he needed some definite closure) and couldn't think about anything, let alone using protection. but then, the girl, very much sober, seemed to have no problems letting a hot, tall, young model spilling inside he. when a social worker came less than a year later at his doorstep with not one, but two babies, she told hyungwon that the girl left his contact information at the hospital, before fleeing. they were pretty and precious and hyungwon immediately knew they were his; he still took a paternity test, to make sure. 

after the results came in, hyungwon had full custody of two babies. their mother never contacted them since, not hyungwon and not her own children. 

hyungwon felt underage as well. he was 23, but he didn't even wash his own clothes or make his own food. he couldn't take care of two babies when he couldn't even take care of himself. he's always been on the incapable side; making enough money to live comfortably made his life even simpler. he never really had to do much by himself.

so hyungwon improvised. all thorough the baby and toddler years, he hired nannies, he blackmailed minhyuk; anything besides involving himself. it started being just the tiniest bit easier after the twins turned 5, but they were still difficult even then. they screamed and cried for no reason, and were never satisfied with the food or the cartoons. hyungwon didn't have the patience or the creativity to play. he never knew what to do, and was way too awkward around the kids. 

it still didn't surprise him, though, that even after turning 6, none of the twins called him any variation of the word father. he never really wanted to be one, anyway. 

"I'll help you with them tomorrow morning. I'll sleep over tonight, don't worry" minhyuk invited himself casually, already aware that hyungwon would've asked that of him anyway. he was way more active in the twins life than their own blood was anyway, so he at least knew what to do. "the only question I have now, won, is why would your boss suddenly ask for a random bring-your-kid-to-work day?" 

hyungwon has been brewing the same question for the past hours. he was hoping to find an answer till tomorrow morning before work, at least. 

"I stopped asking myself 'why' questions after working for galaxy"

 

~

 

"remember hyungwon, lunch is at 1 the latest, I packed spare clothes for both of them but the yellow sweater is for harim specifically, raehwa gets all itchy from that one. I packed both their favourite skirts but they might still fight over the sparkly one, harim still isn't over growing her's out. raehwa is the one that really likes being carried and harim is the one that really hates it, don't mess it up and avoid the tantrums, and also-"

hyungwon blocked all sounds, from the loud city noise, with beeping cars and loud people and rowdy crows, to minhyuk's incredibly fast monologue. they were almost inside the hotel, having parked the car in the private parking lot, but minhyuk insisted on getting them inside. it seemed to be a good idea, though, seeing that the twins had to plans on leaving his side and just joining hyungwon.

"-if any of you get lost, you have both hyungwon's and my phone number on the inside of your caps, and on the keychain of your boombags. try to stick together and ask the first person you see for help, okay sweethearts?" minhyuk was now talking to the twins, and hyungwon was tapping his foot, waiting for them to finish so they can go inside. after kissing their foreheads and cheeks and foreheads again, minhyuk left, but not before confessing his undying love for all 3 chae's. it all turned awkward right after. 

hyungwon opened the main door of the hotel and greeted the front guard, all while awkwardly guiding both kids around, large hands on each of other their small shoulders (they were already holding each others hands, hyungwon couldn't just interfere). he made his way to the now familiar hallways of the secluded part of the hotel, keeping it silent; they didn't really have anything to talk about anyway. 

when hyungwon got to the main office, he let his hands fall from the kids shoulders, and knocked on the door. the twins flinched every time a lock unlocked, and quickly hid behind their father when he large doors opened. it probably looked scary, when you're so short, hyungwon thought. he didn't really remember about the times when he was that height though, so he couldn't exactly relate. 

"oh, hyung" 

hyungwon smiled at the sight of the oldest born, and probably the least problematic out of all the boys. the kid was finally dressed as a kid, in dark denim shorts and a green shirt with characters hyungwon didn't recognize, yet his ears and fingers remained full. 'star' was kind, and he smiled and listened and answered to everything hyungwon said or asked, and even politely called him 'hyung', even though he was more at an uncle age for the boys. star's eyes fell from hyungwon's to the kids' behind him, and he gasped slightly. his smile grew even larger, and he moved from the door, allowing them all to slip inside the room. 

"hi. I was asked to come with them for some reason. do you know your father's plans for today?" hyungwon asked awkwardly, all while trying to ignore the small tugs at his shirt, that were becoming more and more frantic. 

"I'm sorry hyung but I can't discuss those matters with you. only father and moon can" star looked apologetic, yet not mad in any way. 

when hyungwon was told that moon was the second in command in galaxy's business, he first thought of it as a joke; a 9 year old, the heir of both legal and illicit businesses of his fathers. it seemed way too far fetched. but when galaxy disappeared for 3 days, purposefully leaving his heir at the main base of the company, where the child literally gave orders and signed papers, it stopped looking so impossible. weird, innappropriate maybe. but it was more than clear that the authority was in the young boy's hands. 

but what became questionable after, was why was moon galaxy's successor, and not star. the oldest son was almost 3 years older than his younger brother. if galaxy's business was as traditional as it seemed, why wasn't his first born the heir of his position? 

when asked, star never really answered the question; he didn't really seem mad about it either, and only brushed it off as moon being better for the position, because he had the brains. hyungwon disapproved, because it was clear all the boys had the brains; somehow brilliant ones. moon was just a bit more capable and fast in his decisions. star never argued on the matter, clearly not interested in the position of inheriting the business. hyungwon dropped it after that. 

"that's okay. thank you" hyungwon stood awkwardly in the middle of the office, still ignoring the tugging. "where are your brothers?" the man asked, not forgetting of his actual job.

"moon's in a conference. he's got shownu hyung with him, so he's all safe. sun is with father, probably still asleep. his feet haven't touched the ground since father came back" star was now approaching hyungwon as he spoke, eyes still set on the little children behind the tall man. they were so pretty they looked like little dolls. but star thought they would look even prettier without the tears in their eyes, most likely the result of being literally ignored by their father. "wanna play a game?" the boy asked, keeping his voice low, trying not to startle the already anxious little kids. when he got two hurried nods in return, he held out both his hands, smiling widely when the little girl shakily took his left, and the small boy latched onto his right. 

hyungwon watched confused as they all started playing with sun's set of toy dinosaurs. somehow a complete stranger was immediately closer to his own kids than he was. 

he silently hoped galaxy never asked him to bring the twins to work ever again. 

 

~

 

more than 2 hours passed before galaxy found his way to his personal office, his youngest baby clinging to his neck like a baby koala, eyes still droopy with sleep. the boss suddenly froze at the sight of his oldest playing with two gorgeous kids, and hyungwon suddenly thought if the whole thing was a joke and he wasn't actually supposed to bring the twins. it was a stupid thought, yet it seemed plausible, seeing that galaxy still made no move. sun started squirming at the sight of other kids in the room and kept asking to be put down to play, and galaxy finally unfroze seconds later and put him down. hyungwon smiled at the little boy, who was only dressed with an adult's white shirt, clearly his father's, extremely oversized and covering both his knees and elbows, literally toddled (it was clear he hasn't walked at all the past days) his way to the makeshift tent that star made from the chairs and blankets found in the room, where all the kids were colouring and munching on a big bowl of fruit salad, with strawberries and pineapple and mango pieces, that star demanded after raehwa complained he was hungry. 

"they're smaller than I thought" hyungwon heard galaxy speak from besides him. they were both watching their kids play now, keeping a safe distance. sun joined colouring immediately, shoving himself in his oldest brother's lap. the position was awkward and didn't allow him to draw comfortably but he seemed content with his place. the twins were next to each other, shoulders brushing, yet they probably needed the physical comfort of each others presence in the room full of only strangers. 

"they lack my genes" hyungwon muttered. the twins were below average when it came to height, clearly not following his footsteps. they were shorter than most 6 year olds, even then most 5 year olds, but when minhyuk brought them to a specialist about it, he said it wasn't about their alimentation; the causes were most likely phycological. harim was even a tad bit taller than her twin, in spite of twins stereotypes. 

"they clearly don't" galaxy muttered himself, awe-ing at the kids' gorgeous features. they had small, pretty faces and wide curious eyes, lips delicate. both were the smaller, even more pleasing versions of hyungwon himself, and he knew it, and he felt himself blush yet disregarded the compliment from his boss. he wasn't there to look pretty, he was there to babysit. in a weird way, pretty useless kind of way. 

"may I know why their presence was so important this particular day?" hyungwon started, still not exactly pleased with the matter. raehwa has been complaining about being hungry and harim kept wanting to change her clothes. star was fast to please both of them, dressing up the girl and spoon feeding the boy who was busy colouring away, all whilst hyungwon uselessly watched from afar. 

"I wanted to see them" galaxy simply answered, eyes still following all the children, yet especially set on the identical little boy and girl set. he had a fond father smile on his face, yet it looked a bit sad. hyungwon found he didn't like it when his boss looked sad. all light seemed to leave his eyes, leaving only emptiness behind, in comparison to when they lit up the whole place they were at. 

"but why?" hyungwon kept going at it, confusion written all over his face. all his other bosses before galaxy had no intention of messing in his personal life, so why was that happening now? hyungwon never liked intertwining his work life with his personal one. it never came out good in the end. 

galaxy ignored him and started walking towards the poorly made tent, grabbing the large colourful blankets and pulling them off the chairs in one go. he suddenly pretended to be a dinosaur, of all things, and kept making sounds and grunts to amuse the kids, who clearly enjoyed the show, laughing and giggling. even the twins seemed to enjoy themselves. galaxy propped star on his back, who clinged to his father's neck despite his size and age, and they pretended to be a dinosaur with two heads, entertaining the kids even better by stomping around the office, following the little ones around. 

it looked as the most ridiculous scene hyungwon has seen in his entire life, with the full grown man who threatened him with a gun not even a week before, yet now was groaning like a dinosaur, but he swore he's never seen the twins laugh so much in their entire life, not even when they were toddlers and laughed at the silliest things.

15 minutes later when everyone was already gasping more than giggling, even muscle bunny galaxy himself, raehwa asked for the toilet, and harim asked before her twin did, and sun asked because he couldn't just be left out like that. with a soft kiss to his hair, galaxy silently asked his oldest to help the kids to the bathroom, and star complied, grinning when he received even more kisses from his whipped father. 

left in the complete silence of the large office, galaxy plopped himself at his desk chair, leaving hyungwon in the middle of the room, still awkwardly standing. galaxy sighed before opening a drawer in the left side of the desk, and pulling out two small stacks of paper, leaving them on the table, one hand over each of them. with a simple "come", hyungwon was already moving towards his boss, anxiety spiking up. when he reached the desk, galaxy removed his hands from the papers. 

hyungwon was met with complicated looking documents, small pictures of raehwa and harim in the corners of the front page. reading between the lines of the pages, his eyes moved back and forth to his boss and the papers, confusion and anxiety clouding his mind. before he could even open his mouth to question it all, galaxy beat him to it. 

"chae hyungwon, I'm going to adopt the twins"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know not many things make much sense now, but i promise that they will soon enough. until next time~  
> ~MADDE


	4. EPISODE 3

_"chae hyungwon, i'm going to adopt the twins"_

 

confusion. the only thing that hyungwon could feel was confusion. why would galaxy want to adopt raehwa and harim? why raehwa and harim out of all kids out there? would adopting them even be possible in anyway? how bad would hyungwon seem to the world if his first thoughts were to approve of the adoption, without doubts or questions? 

 

 _must seem extremely bad_ , hyungwon thought, yet still couldn't seem to feel entirely bad about it. sure, he could provide for his kids, he could clothe them and feed them, and buy them things, but he could never offer them what they really needed. a real, loving, proper father. _galaxy, on the other hand..._

 

galaxy was the epitome of what people would call, a real father, the kind of husband that people wished to have, a proper one, with paternal instincts and a big heart. the kind of father that loves his children more than he loves anything else in the world, more than he even loves himself. a father that would do anything for his little boys, as much as creating a whole empire for them, as illegal as it might be, just to make sure that they're going to be all safe and sound. compared to galaxy, hyungwon couldn't ever be a proper father, not in another life. he was clumsy in his thoughts and actions, he never spent more than a couple of days a week around his own children, and even then, he wasn't properly caring for them. it was no wonder that the twins were 6 years old and he has never been called father. they didn't even call him  _hyung_. he was just hyungwon. 

 

so would, after all, signing off the twins adoption just like that even be a bad thing? maybe it would be the best thing that ever happened to them. they could finally live in a proper family, with a proper parent, a father figure. they could have other siblings, three brothers, two sweeathearts, and moon (hyungwon didn't think moon was quite the sweetheart, maybe an acceptable child, in a family picture, but harim could use a strong older brother, and raehwa could use a passionate hyung figure)

 

hyungwon only realised he's been lost in thought when galaxy banged his hands on the table, hands still over each of the documents (hyungwon still wasn't sure if they were official or unofficial, but he guessed it didn't matter, since anything could pass those lines when it came to galaxy's businesses). looking up from the desk he was met with his boss' focused eyes, most likely waiting for an answer, or at least a reaction of some sort. hyungwon finally unfroze and cleared his throat; he hasn't even realised it was so parched it started scratching uncomfortably. 

 

"i apologise but.. what?" hyungwon cursed at himself when his voice came out all messed up, as if he was back to going through puberty. he focused his eyes back downcast soon after, not able to keep looking into the other mans piercing eyes. 

 

"sign the papers hyungwon. i want you to do it yourself, i don't want to forge this as well. sign the papers and i'll pay you good money, you can continue living very comfortably with just random shows. you won't even need to go to those anymore, unless you really want to" galaxy spoke confidently, and only listening to his words made it seem as if hyungwon had no other choice but to agree and comply. 

 

"but why them? why raehwa? why harim? you can adopt any other children out there. better kids, kids without the problems that they have. they're both under the average height and weight, and raehwa doesn't exactly interact with anyone properly, because he's high key introverted, even for his age, and harim is the total opposite, i swear she has some sort of ADHD, but i cant go check up on it and minhyuk says she's completely fine, and i really want to believe him but at the same time she cannot even eat her meal properly, and they're both kinda weird and have weird requests, and weird questions, and weird stories to tell, and i just really wished that you would reconsider, sir, because they're not the kind of kids that you want. they're not kind like star, or smart like moon, or genuinely loving as sun. they're not special in anyway, and i doubt you would want children like that in your sons' company. it would really be a shame to have kids such as your own be tainted as some such as mine, so please-"

 

"no, okay, stop" galaxy suddenly cut off his rambling, finally taking his hands from the papers. hyungwon could see the twins' faces once again, in the little squared pictures. his boss stood up abruptly, chair scratching the expensive wooden floor, and he walked around the desk, right in front of hyungwon. the taller tried moving backwards at the sudden intrusive in his personal space, yet he was held still in his place but the slightest touch on his arm, that galaxy provided with the greatest care. he removed the hand when he was sure that hyungwon would remain still in his place, and he propped himself on the desk. "hyungwon-ah. in the over 40 days that you lived between your job interview and your first day, you saw harim and raehwa 9 times. in the 3 days you spent with moonie and baby sun you completely lost contact with them for 3 full days, and still refused to leave the damned hotel. and those are not even covering the most concerning things about the relationship you have with your own kids. i've been following this bond break for years, hyungwon, and i'm tired. i cant't stand it anymore. sign the papers and you won't have to see the kids that ruined your life ever again"

 

_he won't have to see raehwa and harim ever again?_

 

 "but what about your boys?"

 

 

 ~

 

 

"made any progress with pretty boy?"

 

changkyun was already waiting for him on the rooftop when he arrived, half empty pack of cigarettes clutched in his left hand. his right was tugging at the lob of his ear, a habit he acquired when he was merely a child and still hasn't been able to grow out of, even at his age. he grabbed the railing on the edge of the roof, examining the darkening night sky, the city lights barely woken up. changkyun moved to stand right besides him, shoulders almost brushing, and he extended his hand to take a cigarette from the pack. he fished out the lighter from the taller's dark coat pocket, completely comfortable in his actions. 

 

"even less than i made with star back then" the older muttered, watching changkyun light up a cigarette and holding it in front of his face. galaxy took the white stick from between his best friend's fingers and looked at it with a frown on his face; watching the cancer stick smoke itself before throwing it over the edge became a habit for him years back, exactly on the day that his youngest was born. after being a heavy smoker for the most part of his teenage and young adult years (around 12 years, if he had to actually give it a number), he knew it was time for a change when his kids were born. he started smoking less and less since star came in his life, and after moon was born, he only smoked when he couldn't keep his anxiety under control. when sun became part of his life though, he knew he couldn't stall anymore; he smoked his last cigarette minutes after the baby was born, and his lips haven't touched once since. nowadays, when his anxiety spiked up, he would escape on the rooftop of his hotel and let a stick smoke itself. it didn't feel as good or relieving, yet it somehow remained satisfying. 

 

"ah shit. i really didn't think he would hold back" changkyun spoke more to himself, yet his voice was still loud enough for the older to hear over the city white noise. 

 

"yeah, me either. i was expecting some negotiations at worst, but i guess he's not as pathetic as they make him to be" 

 

after years of watching the pathetic life of the one and only chae hyungwon, and his rapidly deteriorating relationship with the little treasures that he could barely even make eye contact with, the ceo knew he needed to do something, for both the twins, but also for himself. he was so sure that getting them wouldn't be a problem; what he actually thought to be a problem was making the poor kids comfortable with himself. the problems seemed to switch up though, seeing as the twins were completely suckers for any kind of attention, after years of being deprived of it, and hyungwon was the one actually holding onto them. it was unexpected and not at all in the ceo's plans. galaxy did not like it when things didn't go according to the plan.

 

"ask moon-ah for a favour? i bet he would somehow come with a solution. he always does" changkyun asked almost silently, already aware of his best friend's opinion on his preposition. if there was one thing the older hated, it was relying on his sons for something that he could solve himself. more so, moon was an exception, for more than one reason.

 

"last time i asked moon for a favour he asked for a rifle in return. i'm not making that mistake again" galaxy muttered, still dwelling on the past. he knew moon was special in his own kind of way, but after solving an interrogation case and asking for the firearm in return, his father knew he needed to make some changes. his middle child was barely 7 when the incident happened and he was caught using the weapon twice, both times trying to intimidate the ceo's employees. galaxy confiscated the weapon and hasn't asked for favours since; moon became second in command and had to do things without being asked now, anyway.   

 

"kid's a psycho anyway. he needs his own special toys" the younger laughed mockingly, playing with the lighter still between his fingers, lighting it and dragging his digits over the flame. he turned to face the taller man when he felt as if he was being watched, and was met with a face full of galaxy, a stone glare on his face, usually warm eyes now colder than ice.

 

"call my son a psycho again and i'm gonna strangle you with my own hands. you've seen me do it before. don't fucking test me changkyun" galaxy snapped. as much as he appreciated his best friend's existence, especially after all changkyun has done for him in the past, he loved his sons more.

 

"you wouldn't even hurt me, hyung, let alone kill me" changkyun's smile left his eyes, yet his lips were still stretched out in a fake looking one. he knew perfectly well who was more important for galaxy, he has felt it before, first hand. he always kept a thought in the back of his head, though, that whatever mistakes he was to make in the future, galaxy would find empathy and mercy for him. he was, his only friend, after all. 

 

"i wouldn't look twice at you before poking your eyes out. that's my moon you're talking about. i'd do anything for him and you know it" that shut changkyun up, smile completely disappearing from his face. galaxy huffed and moved his eyes back on the city. checking his watch, he scanned mentally through his schedule for anything that he would still have to do for the day, before making his way to his baby sun to feed into his usual sleeping habits. the adult knew that what he did wasn't normal, but how could he deny him? sun was his last and youngest baby, and he had to be spoiled rotten. besides all, galaxy would be a complete liar if he said that having such a pure thing to do every day didn't keep him sane, because most times it seemed as if sleeping with his kids in his arms was actually the only thing that ever did. so after all, he could feed into sun's bad habits for just a few more. his baby would only stay a baby for so long, unfortunately.

 

"alright fine. not involving moon in the plans" changkyun finally broke the silence, bringing galaxy back from his thoughts. "but how are you gonna get the twins?" 

 

"i don't know yet, but i have to, i'm telling you. first thing he asked when i told him to sign them over was why them when there's 'better kids' out there. second thing was what would happen with my own boys. it's like the twins themselves are the last thing he thinks about, i swear. it's seriously lamentable." galaxy was more than disappointed after the talk he had with hyungwon. he knew things were bad, he watched it happen more than once. he wasn't expecting hyungwon to be so careless and impassive, though. "i don't know how i'm gonna get them, but they aren't gonna live in the way they do now much longer. i gotta bring the sky and the sea back there they always belonged, after all."

 

 

~

 

 

hyungwon decided that if galaxy ever decides to have another 'bring your kids to work' day, he just wouldn't go, even if it meant losing his job. as good as the money were, he decided they weren't good enough if his boss had to intervene in his personal life. the second galaxy left the office, hyungwon fled to search for the twins, planning to leave work early for the day. he found them in sun's personal room, where the kid usually slept, along with star still supervising them, where they were all playing with plushies. hyungwon barely had to announce his plan about leaving, that the twins (and sun) already started whining, temper tantrums quick on their way. star quieted them down after seeing the lost look on hyungwon's face, and after promising that they will all see each other again very soon (the adult didn't want to disagree right then in their faces, especially after the kids quietened down at the statement), hyungwon was able to leave peacefully, still walking awkwardly behind the kids, as they were holding hands (interrupting just seemed so disrespectful).

 

hyungwon called minhyuk who immediately came to their rescue and drove them home, even if he was prissy at his best friend for refusing to speak about what has happened at the hotel not even an hour back. minhyuk was pretty sure that it was nothing too serious, though, seeing as the kids were more than fine, and actually in a pretty good mood. 

 

"is anyone available for the babies today?" minhyuk asked as he parked in the driveway of the chae's. 

 

"no" hyungwon simply answered and opened his car door, stepping out. he didn't call any of the babysitters, since he thought he would have the kids at work all day, which clearly ended up not being the case. 

 

"well i can't stay either, i have to go meet my mom, it's her dog's birthday and she's throwing a dog party again. i would take the twins but raehwa gets too carsick every time we go to her house and harim refuses to go without him." minhyuk babbles clearly to himself, since he knows hyungwon doesn't know that information. he helps the kids out of their special car seats and the car itself, before turning back to face hyungwon. "will you be okay with them till tomorrow? there's still leftovers in the fridge from yesterday and you can just call me later for their bedtime routine. just let them watch some cartoons or something, they've been out the whole day so it will be fine. dinner is at 6 and bedtime at 9, don't forget hyungwon-ah." minhyuk spoke while pointing a finger at his him, face serious. he turned to give hugs and kisses to the kids, before finally entering his car again and driving away, leaving the chae's looking at the back of the car until it couldn't be seen anymore.

 

looking back at the twins, hyungwon sighed and lead them into their house, definitely not ready for the rest of the day.  

 

 

~

 

 

_"i need the kid out of the hotel. as long as he's in there there's no way for us to continue with this successfully"_

 

_"are you sure he's our only threat? he is just a kid after all"_

 

_"no, that one isn't just a kid. just get him out of the damn hotel and let me fix the rest with galaxy"_

 

_"where am i even to take him? what if he attacks me?"_

 

_"you said it yourself, didn't you? he's just a kid. break his damned legs or something. i couldn't care less where you bring him, but it better not be close to the galaxy or our perimeters. i don't need him seeing anything related to us. fix this for me, hyunwoo hyung, and you won't have to work for that piece of shit ever again, you have my word"_

 

 

_~_

 

 

if there was one thing that hyunwoo loved about his job, it was the little boys he was hired to keep safe. if he really had to think about it, the kids were actually  _the only_ good thing he could find about the job. other than that, it was stupid, and dangerous, and violent, and god, hyunwoo just  _hated_ all the violence with his whole being. he's never been a violent person. after all, he only accepted the job for one reason and one reason only: he had to somehow return jooheon his services, for everything the younger has done for him. becoming a bodyguard was easy. hyunwoo could look all scary if he glared enough and he had the perfect physique for it. he was just hired at the hotel, at first, for all the legal part of the business. getting close to galaxy himself was the harder part of the job, but he managed that as well, through the kids themselves. hyunwoo just let his paternal instincts come through and it was all easy after that. the kids adored him and galaxy finally trusted him enough to let him around the illicit part of the business, and even the kids themselves. 

 

hyunwoo became so used to the whole thing, that he forgot what was his job in the first place. so after over a year of working for galaxy every day, when he was finally visited by jooheon himself, hyunwoo panicked. the younger seemed to change; his thirst for revenge seemed to worsen and his morals seemed to leave him completely. he wasn't the same kid from back then, when hyunwoo first met him. he stopped smiling his little kid smile, and a constant scowl replaced it instead. his clothes turned dark and so did his innocent eyes. jooheon lost all the love he had to give to the world, and turned it into hatred instead. 

 

the kids were the only thing that hyunwoo enjoyed about his job, so could he really hurt one of them to fulfill his duty?

 

 "shownu hyung, it's kinda late. shouldn't you be leaving by now?" hyunwoo snapped back to reality only to be met with a face full of star, the sweetheart himself. looking at his watch, it was indeed late; it was over an hour passed by the time he usually left, yet his mind was still contemplating. the adult brought brought his hands up to ruffle the boy's soft hair. star didn't deserve to be born in the world he was into.  

 

"sorry munchkin, i'm leaving in a bit, i lost track of time. i'm gonna go check up on your brothers and i'm out right after" hyunwoo flashed him a cheesy smile, not wanting to draw any suspicion. star was way smarter than he looked, way smarter than other people gave him credit for. the 11 year old seemed content with his answer and nodded for the bodyguard to take his leave. 

 

hyunwoo made his way to sun's room first, mind still full. he couldn't really harm moon, could he? as disturbing as the child was, he was still just that - a child. besides all, hyunwoo was actually the one moon was mostly around; the child became to take a liking to him and his quiet antics, and asked his father if hyunwoo could become his personal bodyguard. galaxy approved of it, of course. his boys always got what they wanted, after all. so in that way,for the past month or so, moon and hyunwoo became more or less inseparable; the quietest duo.

 

after arriving at the youngest's room, he cracked open the door in the slightest, only to be welcomed by galaxy laying on his back on the huge bed, his youngest snoozing on his naked chest, caged protectively between his arms. the room was almost fully illuminated, from all the little lights dancing on the ceiling, from all the special night lights, a full neon green galaxy. both of them seemed to be in deep sleep, and hyunwoo closed the room behind him just as quietly as he opened it. he looked at the end of the hallway, where the dark cobalt blue door seemed bigger than ever. right behind that painted piece of wood most likely stood moon, completely unaware of other's plans with him. 

 

hyunwoo made up his mind and made his way to the cobalt door, his steps large and hands shaky. this was his last chance at doing the right thing and paying his debts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if there's still any confusion about this, here are the character's ages:
> 
> hoseok - 31  
> 'star' - 11  
> 'moon' - 9  
> 'sun' - 5
> 
> hyungwon - 29  
> harim - 6   
> raehwa -6
> 
> is anyone would like to see where i took inspiration from the kids, you can dm me on twitter @madd_moonchild and i will be more than happy to offer some pics as guide (i didn't really wanna upload them here, it doesn't exactly feel safe for myself or the real kids themselves, even if most are ullzangs)
> 
> i swear things will begin to clear up soon, please be patient. feedback is always lovely. thank you for still reading. much love to everyone~  
> ~MADDE


	5. EPISODE 4

when moon finally regained consciousness, his eyes felt too heavy to be opened. he couldn't just ask for help, both because of his exasperating condition, and because of his intensely parched throat, tongue heavy in his mouth. moon wondered if he was coming down with a cold; it only ever happened twice in his life before, but moon could recall feeling somewhat similar to what he felt now. for some reason, he also felt unusually cold, muscles stiff and his limbs hard to move. perhaps it was a flu, and not a cold. 

 

finally opening his eyes, moon panicked at the unfamiliar surroundings, blurry and still relatively dark. he scampered around for his glasses and whimpered when he couldn't find them in their usual place, besides his bed. finally connecting the dots, moon froze when he realised he wasn't in his room, or anywhere near his father's hotel. 

 

_his father._

 

moon suddenly felt like crying. he couldn't actually remember a time when he wasn't physically close to his father, or when he wasn't aware where the adult was. many times galaxy said that while he was the head of the business, his moon was the neck of it all, supporting everything together. that galaxy would stop existing when moon would stop existing. it definitely went the other way round as well, though, since moon never felt closer to dying before.

 

"daddy" the boy whimpered, tears pooling into his eyes. he had no idea where he was but his daddy would find him, right? he had to find him. even if he usually wasn't a good boy, like his hyung,or the baby, his daddy would still come to save him.. right? slowly raising to his feet, his limbs still achy and his mind rushing full of questions and scenarios, moon flinched when he heard the sound of something hit the ground. he finally realised it were his glasses and scampered to put them on, sighing relieved when he couldn't spot any cracks in them. looking around frightened, he realised he couldn't recognise  _anything_ at all. tears still flowing down his face, he turned around only to be met with a wooden door, and moon realised he was on the porch of a house. without thinking twice about it, he started banging his fists on the unfamiliar door, his moves frantic and agitated; he's never been outside the hotel without his father or a bodyguard. anything could happen to him. all he needed was to get a hold of a phone and call his daddy, that's all. he even knew his phone number by heart, because he learnt it when his daddy asked that of him, because he wasn't  _that_ bad of a boy. if only the stupid door would open and he could finally call him, _he had to, he had to call his d-_

 

_"hyung"_

 

 

moon started sobbing at the sight of the familiar face and jumped in hyunwon's arms, not caring about anything else. shoving his face in the tall man's face couldn't actually help him breathe better or calm down his anxiety and racing heartbeat, but moon couldn't care  _less._ he was safe in his hyung's arms, his hyung that would protect him and call his daddy and help him get back home. the child seemed to relax from the soothing motion of the hand rubbing his back and the voice gently humming in his ear, all while swaying him lightly. moon's cries finally quieted down into mere whimpers and sniffles, and hyungwon sighed relieved. when he heard knocking on the door at 6am he was expecting anything besides moon panicked, and crying, and  _talking._

 

"hyungwon hyung please call daddy. i want to be picked up now"

 

"moon-ah" hyungwon started softly while still swaying back and forth, not wanting to disrupt the already scared boy. "how did you even manage to get here?"

 

"i don't know! i just went to sleep in my room and when i woke up i was right outside your door. hyung please, my daddy, call him, please!" moon was talking faster than ever, beginning to fret again in hyungwon's arms. the adult kissed his temple softly and finally turned towards his living room, before sitting down on the couch, the 9 year old now in his lap. holding his head gently, hyungwon wiped away moon's tears with his thumbs, before pecking his forehead and cuddling him close to his chest. seeing moon act like a normal, anxious child was a sight hyungwon didn't think he would ever see, but at the same time he couldn't say he enjoyed it in any way. hearing the 9 year old talk was different, though. his voice sounded small and raspy, probably from the lack of use, but hyungwon swore it was one of the best things he's ever heard.

 

"how about i just drive us to the hotel in a bit. is that okay baby?" hyungwon was still talking softly, his voice low and warm. moon nodded against his chest and sniffled, probably wiping his boogers all over hyungwon's shirt, yet the latter didn't seem to care that much, for some odd reason. "how about i make you some hot chocolate meanwhile?"

 

 

~

 

"daddy... where's moonie?"

 

it took galaxy a few minutes to process his youngest's seemingly innocent question. it was passed the usual time when his children usually woke up; making them sleep early automatically made them wale up early. besides that, his middle child has always been the biggest eater out of all his kids, and he could never start his day without a proper breakfast. so where exactly was he, if not at the dinner table, where he could be found every single morning since he was old enough to pick up his own chopsticks?

 

pulling out his phone, and selecting shownu's contact, without allowing his heartbeat to pick up  _just yet_ , he placed the device between his ear and his shoulder, using his free hands to spoon feed his youngest baby. not even two rings in, the other line ended the call. calling again once, twice,  _thrice_ , galaxy let his phone drop on the table loudly, hands shaking midair. 

 

"daddy? are you okay?" the youngest was looking at him intensely, sensing his suddenly disturbed mood. galaxy stood up abruptly, chair grazing loudly on the expensive wooden floors, and he picked his baby from his chair, holding him close to his chest, before making his way to the more formal part of the hotel. walking through his personal office, he sighed relieved at the sight of his oldest hunched over his desk, completely lost in the thick book under his nose. two of his boys were fine; all he had to do now was figure out where the third one was. 

 

"baby boy, where's your brother?" galaxy asked lowly, as if asking the question any louder would make it all too real. his oldest flinched at the voice, probably too immersed in his book to even hear his father enter the room. finally looking at him, sun painted a frown on his face and shut the book loudly.

 

"i'm not sure. i thought he'd be with you by now" star raised to his feet and walked around the desk, taking his youngest brother from his father's hold for a quick cuddle (the adult also seemed a bit too tense to still be holding the 5 year old, his grasp probably too tight and suffocating, judging by the child's whining)

 

"he isn't. i haven't seen him at all today. when was the last time you saw him?" the adult talked fast, lisp completely coming through, brain not focused enough on correcting his own speech problems. his palms were sweating now, and his throat was drying up; it was the worst time for his anxiety to kick in. 

 

"yesterday evening. he wanted to talk me into getting him a new painting and i shrugged him off. i was just looking now at some of his art books, trying to find an accessible one that he might want, but there is just so much expressionism art that you can find" star muttered, pointing at the book he was so focused on just moments ago. noticing his father's quickly decaying mental state, the 11 year old approached him slowly, placing his free hand, that wasn't holding his brother, on the adult's bicep, in an awkward comforting matter. he'd witnessed it before; every time something even remotely negative would happen to any of them, his father would get all panicked and anxious in just mere moments. criminal side long forgotten, galaxy always got fucked up fastest when it came down to his precious sons.  

 

in the completely silent office, everyone flinched when a phone suddenly started ringing loudly. galaxy scampered to get a hold of it, gasping at the sight of shownu's name.

 

_"shin hoseok"_

 

the ceo's breath hitched at the sound of his own name coming out of someone's mouth, after years of trying to bury it. on the other side it was clearly not his bodyguard, yet hoseok knew  _exactly_ who the voice belonged to. he could recognise it anywhere.

 

 _"jooheon-ah._ i'm afraid i don't go by that name anymore. well, not to you anymore" completely disregarding his anxious state, hoseok put on the leader mask quickly, superiority passing through. lee jooheon wasn't a good sigh, but he's dealt with way worse it the past. the only thing that didn't add up was why jooheon had his employees phone.

 

 _"the nerves that you've got, hyung. and to really think i was gonna be kind to your kid"_ the man on the other side laughed mockingly, and hoseok could just picture him smirking like the parasite he was. the words he spoke, though, changed everything. if moon was really missing, and if jooheon really had him, hoseok was screwed for more than one reason. 

 

"jooheon i fucking swear it to you, by everything you hold close to your heart, that if you even dare  _touch him_ , i'll make sure to find the most painful death there is for you" hoseok was seething, his nails digging hard into his own thigh, a habit that helped him stay calm in front of his sons; he hated being aggressive around them more than anything.

 

_"oh please, hyung. i'm merely just doing you a favour. i know all there is to know about your little moon right here, about his tendencies and his disturbing behaviour. i also know that he's your second in command, and that he will probably kill you in your sleep so he can get the whole company faster. he'd do it, hyung, you know he would. after all, he's just like his mother-"_

 

"okay stop it. you know nothing about my damn kids jooheon. you've never met them. and just because you were jealous that eunsoo chose me and not you, that doesn't make her  _crazy_ , and my baby is nothing like that" hoseok interrupted the other shamelessly, more disappointed than angry. he was tired of people accusing his son of being something he was not. his moon would never harm him, and he believed that with his whole being.

 

_"oh but here you are wrong, my dear hyung. eunsoo didn't choose you. she chose me, she always has. or were you not aware that she was fucking me at the same time as she was fucking you? oh dear hyung. who knows, maybe one of your boys isn't even yours, maybe none of them are-"_

 

"jooheon i swear. if you don't stop talking now and tell me where moon is, i will not hesitate to kill you first thing when i see you. i tolerated you, back then, for the sake of eunsoo,but now that she's gone-"

 

_"because you killed her."_

 

both men were talking animatedly, interrupting each other, voices raised. star decided to find privacy in a corner of the room, where he pulled sun in his lap to play him some cartoons on his phone. he couldn't leave the room, not now; his father's separation anxiety was already spiking up, now that one of his children wasn't around. star had to make sure he was right in hoseok's sight, alongside the baby. it was the least he could do to calm him down, as much as it was possible with moon still missing.

 

"because i chose to save my child, and not his bearer, when i was asked to save one of them the night my sun was born" hoseok muttered annoyed. it wasn't like he was proud of his choice, but at the time he felt like he had no other. for him, eunsoo was one thing and one thing only: the mother of his children. yoo eunsoo was nothing more than a pawn in his game and she was perfectly aware and fine with the situation. she was infatuated with the young, rich ceo, and he needed hid needs tended to. their relationship started and ended as a purely sexual one. they'd have sex, when hoseok decided he wanted children they had  _lots of it_ , completely unprotected and undisturbed. when the kids were born they took their father's name and were passed in his custody without any kind of fight involved. yoo eunsoo and shin hoseok were perfect business partners, in a weird sense of way. 

 

_"because you killed her, like i just said. you never cared about her, but i did. i loved her, and all you cared about was getting your moronic heirs, which are just one worse than the other, may i add. your first doesn't even want your business, which makes his entire existence literally useless, your second is more or less a sociopath, and your third helped you kill his own mother. so tell me, dear hyung. tell me one good reason why i should spare your precious fucking moon?"_

 

hoseok froze at the sound of his son's name being said so spitefully, but first of all, being said at all. he turned to look at his other boys, now in a corner of the office, sun completely immersed in the latest pororo episodes, and star completely focused on his father, a frown on his face. as much as his sons looked like him, every time he looked at any of them he'd just see  _her_ in their eyes. 

 

"because killing him would kill half of eunsoo herself"

 

 

~

 

 

"come on baby, you can go hop in the car"

 

after making sure the 9 year old was completely pacified, helped by some homey hot chocolate with little marshmallows and colourful sprinkles on top, hyungwon allowed himself to internally freak out about the whole situation, between the thick 4 walls of his bathroom door. his boss' child, the most difficult one from the lot, the one people called names behind his back because they were completely terrified to do it to his front,  _moon himself_ , was suddenly in his house, panicked, anxious and  _talking._ a part of hyungwon was happy about the situation; he has been waiting for something to happen at his odd job, and he had been greatly anticipating finding more about the children he was supposed to babysit, but at the same time, he couldn't say that a very disturbed moon was what he wanted, even if he was also a  _talkative_ one. 

 

true to his words, after 15 minutes of completely freaking out over the whole ordeal, hyungwon came downstairs to find the 9 year old in the exact position he left him, though with the cup of hot coco finished. hyungwon called one of the more accessible nannies he had at hand, not keen on bringing the twins back to work anytime soon, and after half an hour he was good to go, with moon tightly holding onto his sleeve. it was more than obvious that the boy needed the physical comfort, and for some reason hyungwon couldn't help but offer his support. 

 

"won hyung let me talk with daddy when we get there. i know how he thinks. he's probably already deemed me missing and when he sees whom i was with, the blame will fall on you. i'm afraid he'll shoot you the first second he'll see you besides me"  

 

 _how thoughtful_ , hyungwon thought, a small smile on his face. what moon said was probably true; after all, he's seen how the father treats his sons. 

 

"also, if it wouldn't be much to ask, i'd like it very much if you didn't tell anyone that i spoke to you" moon was fiddling with his fingers in his lap, big bad sociopath completely gone. hyungwon was so close to cooing but he refrained himself; he didn't want to annoy the boy or embarrass him any more than he already was, that would be cruel of him.

 

"very well" hyungwon decided. he smiled when he heard the boy exhale relaxed and ruffled his soft hair. "but i have two conditions" the adult continued, serious look back on his face. moon copied him and regained his usual cold glare, nodding in acceptance.

 

"alright. what are your conditions?"

 

"firstly: you will talk to me when we're alone. don't ignore me anymore please. it's really making my life harder for no reason" hyungwon sighed and the 9 year old nodded and muttered a mute 'fine'.

 

"what about the other condition?" the child asked, curiosity getting the best of him. hyungwon hummed, touching his chin with his pointer, pretending to think about what to ask.

 

"you have to tell me your name" the adult finally revealed the second term, receiving a confused frown from the boy in front of him. the 9 year old opened and closed his mouth multiple times, clearly not having expected to be asked such thing. the boy finally hopped in he car and shut the door loudly behind himself, and hyungwon followed closely, entering the driver's seat. looking back through his rear-view mirror, the adult hummed pleased at the sight of the kid, completely safe with his seat belt fastened, looking right back at him, a sudden look of superiority in his eyes, one that always seemed to be painted on his face before. 

 

when he finally muttered his answer, though, everything seemed to make a lot more sense to hyungwon, puzzle pieces drawn together perfectly.

 

 _"shin moonbok"_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one child is officially out. i was brewing this chapter since i started writing this, and i actually wrote it multiple times to make sure it was as close to perfect as possible. i am pretty satisfied with the outcome and i hope everyone else is as well. so welcome to the family, shin moonbok~
> 
> next chapter will bring more of hyngwonho as a ship, i'm sorry their storyline is such a slow burn, but there are many other things that need to be in the light beforehand. 
> 
> thank you for reading~ feedback keeps me writing more~  
> ~MADDE


	6. EPISODE 5

"you mean to tell me, that you just opened your front door, and moon was right there,  _crying and all alone_ , at 6am this morning?"

 

when hyungwon arrived at the hotel he expected many things, but being knocked-out right after being seen with moon besides himself wasn't one. waking up in a room he's never been in before, even after weeks of working in the building, with only galaxy in, starring daggers at him, could be marked off as one of the most frightening things he's ever done. to add up, he was tied to a chair, by the legs and arms, a thing hyungwon thought only ever happened in movies, yet there he was- fingers numb from the lack of blood circulation, face still sensitive from the hard punch he received to his jaw. not even allowing his boss to ask any questions, hyungwon already started whining out his own side of the story, in hopes of mercy. after he finished, full on weeping and distressed, galaxy stood silent, not even once breaking his cold exterior. 

 

" _yes"_   hyungwon whined, head hanging low, eyes set on his bloody lap, a product of his injuries. galaxy didn't seem able to piece everything together, a deep frown painted on his face. 

 

"i would ask moon to confirm this but since coming back he has refused to let anyone see him. whatever happened last night traumatised him, and for that only i'm allowed to kill you. you cannot under any circumstances fuck up my children as well, chae hyungwon. especially my more... _unstable_ one" galaxy was clearly seething, yet trying to remain formal. hyungwon nodded, not really knowing what else he was supposed to do; if he were to just die like that, so be it. there wasn't much to life for him anymore anyway. "but i cannot kill you just yet. i need the adoption papers signed"

 

 _right,_ hyungwon sighed relived. for some reason his boss was still going on about the stupid adoption. finally moving from besides the metal door of the room, galaxy approached the tied-up man in the middle of the room and yanked his head back, fisting his long black locks tightly in his fist. hissing, hyungwon closed his eyes, face contorting in pain. he could feel the ceo's breath right on his face, and he shuddered, shaking with emotions when he felt a warm, wet tongue lick under his jaw and all the way to his ear, biting it almost painfully, yet not quite so. finally opening his eyes, his lips parted slightly and a gasp passed through at the sight of galaxy himself,  _so close,_ a smudge of crimson red blood right on the corner of his mouth, belonging to hyungwon without a doubt. 

 

impatient for the ceo's next move, hyungwon craned his neck in an attempt to capture the others pretty red lips in his own, yet the latter moved his head back just the slightest, yet still enough to become unreachable for the tied up man. galaxy tutted and finally let go of hyungwon's hair, opting to let his hand drop in between the younger's legs, where the outline of a painful erection could be clearly spotted. hyungwon hissed as the hand barely grazed by teasingly, before resting right on the inside of his thigh. swallowing down his moans, hyungwon finally looked directly in the other man's eyes, breath hitching at the sight of pure lust hidden in his blown out pupils.

 

" _fuck me_ " hyungwon moaned out a tad bit too desperate for his own liking, completely immersed in galaxy's lustful eyes. the ceo smirked and completely removed his hand from the other's heating up body, making his way to the metal door.

 

"sign the papers, chae hyungwon" galaxy smiled devilishly, before he exited the room, leaving hyungwon a complete pile of aroused mess. 

 

 

~

 

 

 hyunwoo was worried.

 

 _scratch that._ hyunwoo was  _so_ worried that he hadn't been able to get an eye shut since it happened. hyunwoo was so worried that all his nails were bitten raw, and his lips were red and chewed, and his leg just wouldn't stop bouncing whenever he sat down, so he just opted on standing up and pacing whatever room he was in. hyunwoo refused to tell jooheon what had actually happened, especially when he asked about the 9 year old's whereabouts and condition. but hyunwoo was many things, and a liar wasn't one of them, so instead of trying to come up with the best lie, he insisted on keeping silent about it. it was the best strategy he could come up with, at least until guilt ate him alive and he ended up either at jooheon's door or galaxy's, begging for forgiveness and mercy. 

 

it seemed that galaxy seemed to have the superior power over him, though, since he found himself lurking around the ceo's hotel not even 2 days after his escapade.

 

entering the building and immediately making his way to his boss' not so well known office, hyunwoo prepared himself for the worst. right before making a turn for the elevator, the man heard a distinctive sound of a hands clapping thrice, in a very familiar pattern, and his breath hitched. 

 

 _the kid was safe_.

 

hyunwoo turned around at the slowest pace, still calculating the possibility of it being a bad joke, or even a product of his hopeful imagination, yet there stood moon, a curious look on his face. the kid wasn't dressed properly, or better said, wasn't dressed with what he would  _usually_ wear. moon was wearing  _yellow_ _shorts_ , and a baby blue blanket draped around his naked shoulders, one that hyunwoo recognised as the one the kid couldn't sleep without, feet completely bare. his hair was untouched, left to fall naturally over his forehead and messed up, sticking in all places in the back, as if the 9 year old just woke up a tad bit sweaty from a nap. his glasses were perched on the end of his nose, very close to falling, yet the boy made no attempt to fix them. all his ears and fingers were completely empty, a sight that hyunwoo has never seen before in his entire life of working for galaxy. the only things that remained the same about the boy was the black, crescent shape of a moon on his hand, right on his skin between his thumb and pointer, and the kid's favourite knife, tucked unsafely right in the front of his yellow shorts. 

 

finally daring to look in the boy's eyes, hyunwoo froze at the coldness found in the twin black pools. 

 

_'i know that you did it'_

 

after being promoted from a mere hotel bodyguard, to a personal bodyguard of a young child with a speech condition, hyunwoo took it upon himself to learn sign language. even if he did better with reading it rather than using it himself, it always warmed him up when moon realised that someone other than his father or brothers finally understood him, especially in his own language. hyunwoo was very close to pretending he couldn't understand a thing, though, at the sight of the disturbed 9 year old, his movements jerky and behaviour completely unusual. 

 

_'i'm not an idiot, hyung. i know that you did it. only an idiot wouldn't be able to piece it together'_

 

"does your father know then?" hyunwoo almost stuttered under the boy's cold glare. moon rolled his eyes.

 

_'i said that idiots can't piece it together, hyung, and my father is the biggest idiot in this building'_

 

hyunwoo exhaled relaxed at the news, not keen on dealing with an already pissed galaxy. he would much rather confess himself and get it over with. hyunwoo still hoped that if he admitted to it himself, the ceo would find mercy for him; at least galaxy, if not moon himself.

 

"will you tell him?" hyunwoo barely muttered out his question, eyes set in between his legs. he was the one feeling like a child being scolded. he moved his eyes back up, though, after hearing the familiar clapping.

 

 _'i won't. but i have one condition'_  

 

moon was slowly walking towards hyunwoo, closing the already close gap between them with a few small steps. coming to a halt right in front of the adult, so close that hyunwoo was breathing directly down the 9 year old's forehead, moon placed his hands on the others shoulders, bringing him down to his own eye level. hyunwoo froze in the awkward position and remained silent. 

 

"who arranged this?"

 

hyunwoo completely stopped breathing hearing the child speak. sure, he has heard moon speak before; the adult was in the 9 year old's company 99% of his every day life, so inevitably he has heard him communicate orally with his brothers and father. his job was to just ghost around in the background, after all, so he never really paid it much attention. being directly spoken to, though, that was a completely different thing. hyunwoo felt beads of sweat around his temples and neck, especially at the sight of the boy's hand now threateningly clutching the handle of his precious knife. 

 

"lee j-jooheon" hyunwoo barely stuttered out, voice completely lost. his mind seemed to have emptied entirely, and hyunwoo wondered what he did wrong in life when a 9 year old managed to terrify him into such a toxic, pathetic state.

 

 _'of course. fucking lee jooheon'_ moon opted on going back to his usual type of communication, not interested in making big efforts anymore, after finding out what he wanted to know.  _'you purposefully left me at hyungwon didn't you'_ moon continued signing away, and hyunwoo could only barely nod in return.  _'very well then. lurk around as you usually would do. don't tell my father anything. and get out of my fucking sight if you wanna keep both your eyes'_

 

hyunwoo turned around and entered the elevator before moon managed to wave around his pretty, bloodthirsty knife. 

 

 

~

 

 

"i need a favour" 

 

star stopped the loud music playing with a simple touch of a finger, and turned around to stare at his younger brother, in his whole devilish glory. wiping his sweaty forehead and neck with a small towel, he approached the 9 year old with small steps, already expecting a dreadful conversation, one that only moon could give him.  

 

"what do you mean you need a favour? you don't ask for favours. you threaten people into doing things for you" 

 

as much as star loved his brother - which he did, more than probably anything in the world - he knew that the younger's way of dealing with things in life was a tad bit different, and less acceptable in the society. their father raised them to get whatever they want in the way they want; star could vividly remember a time when he was barely 6 and he was allowed to cut someone's little finger because they messed up his food order, and whilst the 11 year old would never do something like that ever again, moon was a completely different story. 

 

"i know, hyung, but i cannot threaten you. my heart wouldn't let me" moon spoke with a certain innocence in his words, his voice barely audible as he moved to stare in between his legs. star knew it was all an act; he has seen it many times before. he also knew, though, that he had the softest spot in his heart for his younger brother, as messed up as the latter might be.

 

"you barely have a heart to begin with, moonbokie" star sighed, choosing to drop to the ground and lay down on the cold, welcoming tiles.

 

"because i only keep you in it. alongside, maybe a handful of other people" moon continued with his act, yet remained standing. if it was one thing that the 9 year old hated, it was looking inferior to anyone, even people that weren't inferior to him in any way. star sighed and patted the space right besides himself anyway, already knowing he will be granted his wish. his brother did need a favour from him, after all.

 

"what do you need help with, jellybean?" star asked after the younger joined him on the ground, propping half of himself on the 11 year old, head in the juncture of his neck. moon was almost never up for cuddles, and was clearly just sucking up to his very clingy, affectionate older brother. star couldn't find it in himself to complain in anyway, though, and just held the younger tighter between his arms.

 

"i need out. i have some business with someone" moon was speaking a lot softer now, mindful of the non-existent space between the two.

 

"very well. go with dad then"

 

"no, hyung, that's the point. dad cannot under no circumstance know about this" the younger was beginning to get frustrated, and the older noticed so just from his changing body language, from his rushed out words to his fretting hands. star sighed and brought one hand to his brothers hair, rubbing gently at the base of his hair, an easy spot for calming him down. 

 

while most people only knew moon as the disturbed kid, and called him a sociopath and many others -worse others-, star knew perfectly well that his younger brother was just a distressed child, barely keeping up with his sickening anxiety medication. being born in an environment completely different than the older's, moon got fucked up real bad, real quick; he's seen the worse the world had in it's stocks when he was a mere toddler, and because of star himself, he had to grow up in a completely different way. galaxy never allowed him to think that way, but star knew perfectly well that his younger brother was selectively mute entirely because of him.

 

"bokie, jellybean, that just makes it so much worse" star sighed, already against whatever the 9 year old was to ask of him. moon propped himself on his elbows, digging the bones a tad bit too painfully in the 11 year old's chest (not that star would complain about it or make any kind of attempt at moving him), and painted a pretty little pout right in front of his face. 

 

"please hyung? i will repay you, i promise. i just need to solve this first and you're the only one that can get me out of the hotel" moon whined, bringing his hands together in a mocking prayer kind of way. the older moved his sight at his hands, and softly caressed his crescent moon tattoo with his thumb, a deep frown on his face.

 

"only if you promise not to kill someone again. accidentally or not, i do not care, but i swear, moonbokie-ah, i refuse to cover your tracks again" star spoke explicitly, one of his eyebrows raised, a habit that moon knew meant his brother was 100% gonna drop the whole plan if he didn't agree with the terms. and so the younger nodded truthfully, moving to mock a cross over his chest.

 

"cross my heart hyungie. love you the mostest" the 9 year old escaped his grasp and immediately made his way out, content with the outcome of the conversation.

 

"yeah" star sighed and moved his eyes on the pristine white ceiling, already regretting the whole ordeal. "i love you too jellybean"

 

 

~

 

 

hyungwon  _hated_ galaxy.

 

he hated him, and he hated his stupid business, and his stupid sons, and his stupid attitude, and most of all he hated his stupid, gorgeous face. 

 

hyungwon had little to no idea how much time had passed with him trapped in the stupid room, completely bare of anything except the chair that he was tied to. the lack of windows didn't help much either, and the plain, metal door only pissed hyungwon more and more every second he spent in the shithole. the only exciting thing that ever happened in the time that he was trapped in the room, was when galaxy paid him visits.

 

visits when he would tease him, or talk a lot of his usual useless bullshit, only to leave him hot and bothered and hard every single time, with the promise to 'help' on the condition of the sighed adoption papers. hyungwon knew perfectly well that the ceo's request was more than stupid; he couldn't just sign off his kids at the promise of a good fuck, but as time went by, hyungwon wondered how much longer he could endure before snapping and agreeing on the adoption impulsively. if he was to agree with the stupid adoption, he wanted it to at least be genuine on his side.

 

hyungwon rolled his eyes annoyed at the sight of galaxy sticking up his head inside the room, clearly hiding something behind himself. every minute that hyungwon got to spend around the ceo he wondered if he was only an adult in his body; most of the times, he seemed a lot more immature, especially compared to his two older children. 

 

"i'm not signing anything, sir" hyungwon simply stated before even being addressed,  immediately bringing a switch to the ceo's seemingly good mood. galaxy shut the door loudly behind himself, before walking to stand in front of the seated man, right between his legs. hyungwon had to strain his neck to be able to look directly in the other's eyes, and when he did, he was met with something completely new behind the charming dark orbs; disappointment.

 

"i was not going to ask you to sign anything, yet you just signed yourself some more time in this place" galaxy finally murmured, looking down, deeply in the other man's eyes. he brought one of his hands from behind his back and cupped the younger's jaw, thumb brushing against his still visible bruise gently. galaxy bent to hyungwon's eye level and brought his lips upon the wound, pressing just the slightest, barely felt peck right on it, before repeating the action right on the corner of hyungwon's mouth, holding that for some too many seconds. finally letting go of him, the ceo moved back, in his usual place besides the insufferable metal door, and revealed what he was keeping behind his back the whole time.

 

"a photo album" hyungwon stated confused. he was pretty sure those things weren't even fabricated anymore, yet galaxy held onto his protectively. "why would you bring me a photo album?"

 

"because every answer to your questions about me wanting raehwa and harim are right in this" galaxy murmured, before placing the album on the floor tiles. grabbing behind himself again, he pulled out a knife, butt in the shape of a black diamond, which he placed right on top of the small picture book. throwing one last look at the tied up man, galaxy made his way out of the room, once again.

 

hyungwon looked hopefully at the book and knife placed a few feet in front of him. galaxy finally made his plans clear. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are finally beginning to contour. better things are yet to come tho ~  
> thank you for reading ~ feedback is my motivation ~ much love to everyone
> 
> ~ MADDE


	7. EPISODE 6

"tea please!"

 

"there's no more tea. would you like juice instead?"

 

"only if it's raspberry!"

 

hyungwon looked between the almost identical 6 year olds, his eyes narrowed in uncertainty. their large, curious eyes were 100% his; their unusually sizeable lips too. he always remembered how he used to get teased for his features when he was a child, until the fashion industry deemed them good enough for marketing. he hoped the kids would find a similar way out of the mocking, or at least would find a way to love themselves no matter what. 

 

while his daughter always grew her hair way faster than her brother did, she simply refused to let it grow too long and look so much different than her twin. at the same time, his son refused to get haircuts, his locks growing longer, curling around his ears and flowing around his neck prettily. most times it was difficult from hyungwon himself to differentiate between the two, considering their similar, gorgeous hair, their sparkly matching purple nails and the pretty dressed they both loved sharing. hyungwon hoped with his whole heart that the twins will come to love themselves, because they were indeed, the most charming children he has ever seen; and he wasn't saying so just because he was their father. 

 

looking back and forth at the picture in his hand and the twins playing 'restaurant' he still couldn't find that many similarities. no matter how much hyungwon tried, raehwa's skin was the same shade as his, pretty melanin coming through, and harim's nose and face shape was undeniably identical to his. 

 

chae harim and chae raehwa looked absolutely nothing like anyone in galaxy's family. 

 

"hyungwon, i want real raspberry juice" raehwa mumbled, a pout painted on his face. even their habits were exactly the same as hyungwon's, but that could also be because they only ever had their parental figure in their life, the other parent completely absent. hyungwon sighed and placed the photo down, before pulling out his wallet and taking some small bills out and putting them in the 6 year olds small hand. 

 

"well, what are you waiting for? go get yourself some" hyungwon muttered when the boy made no move to leave from in front of him. taking the album back in his hands, he placed the picture of the dark haired girl in it's designated place before moving on to another picture. 

 

"but minhyuk hyung said we can't go outside without an adult" harim poked out her head from behind her twin brother, staring at hyungwon intensely. the man sighed frustrated and shut the album loudly, the sound startling the 6 year olds. 

 

"then i guess you have to wait for minhyuk to get here. whenever he might come. i don't know when that is, and frankly i don't care. don't you have better things to do? homework or something? go play and stop bothering me" hyungwon snapped and left the living room, going to his own bedroom, clutching the small album tightly in his hands.

 

one thing was sure: chae harim and chae raehwa were nothing like this so called shin hyesoo. 

 

 

~

 

 

moonbok paced back and forth, from the entrance of the large garage to the exit of it, undeniably nervous about his hyung's seemingly ignorant plan. his hyung, who apparently loved making his life harder by running late, even if he knew that not going perfectly according to plan would spike up his anxiety. moonbok sighed and made his way back to the entrance of the garage, looking hopefully from left to right for the 11 year old. disappointed, he gave up on walking a hole in the ground and sat down right besides the door, knees up to his chest. 

 

bringing his left hand up to his face, he dragged his right thumb over the small, black mark of a crescent moon. he has had the mark for so long, he couldn't remember a time without it, or when exactly his father gave it to him. he just knew that as long as the moon was there, nothing could ever stop him. or so his father told him. 

 

moonbok flinched out of his thoughts when a hand slapped the back of his neck affectionately, and he raised to his feet, fingers already tapping annoyed at the watch on his wrist.

 

"you're 7 minutes late. what were you even doing? you promised you'll be here on time" moonbok whined but followed his brother out of the garage. they stopped on the small alley right in the back of the hotel, a secluded, dark area, and entered the sleek, black car that was waiting for them.

 

"daegu, nam-gu. as quickly as possible. no words to the outside or your pretty daughter yejin will be visiting your grave in a ditch" star spoke coldly before lifting the glass window separating the front seats from the back ones. the driver immediately complied.

 

"are you going to answer me or are you really gonna make me ask you twice?" moonbok was glaring daggers at the older, arms crossed over his chest.

 

"please, moonbok, just fucking drop it. it was just a few minutes. if you're that bothered i can tell the driver to go back home" star was looking out through the tainted glass windows, refusing to look at his younger brother while he spat the venomous words. the 9 year old frowned, confused. his hyung was usually the most affectionate with him, always understanding of his bothersome anxieties and ocd, and always being patient and nice to him, compared to literally anyone else out there. besides, he swore he's never heard the older call him  _moonbok._ it was always moonie, bokie or jellybean.  _never moonbok._ if his hyung was in a bad mood though, it could only mean one thing.

 

"what did he tell you this time?" moonbok asked, eyes still on his brother, even if the latter wasn't looking at him.

 

"i don't know what you're talking about" star muttered, eyes still on the road outside, refusing to look at the younger. 

 

"hyung c'mon. you promised to talk to me in times like this. you cannot let father walk all over you forever" the 9 year old insisted, placing his hand gently on his brother's thigh in a comforting manner. that finally made the older snap and he turned to face his brother, tears glistening in his eyes. 

 

"nothing i've never heard before. he asked me to quit all my bullshit again and join you. he said he'll completely give up his part of the business and make it mine, which would make the two of us the owners of everything" star sighed, wiping at his eyes even if no tears left his eyes. "-then, after i continued to refuse to do so, _as usually_ , he went back to his stupid, soft side and claimed that if i stay in the business with you two, i can  _even keep on doing all my quirky hobby_." the 11 year old mocked the adult in his own voice, lisp and everything included. he sighed and let his hand fall over his brother's smallest one, which was still situated on his thigh. 

 

" _hyung._ you already know that father will retire soon. he wants to move out of the hotel and start a proper home for baby sun and the pretty twins. i've seen the house he bought, completely child safe and away from the hotel. when he does that, i'll be left completely in charge, and you have my word, hyung, that i'll never stop you from doing what you really want to do, and i'll support you in all ways" moonbok brought his other hand and placed it on top of his brother's squeezing reassuringly. the 11 year old finally let his tears fall freely, and moved himself closer to his younger brother, cuddling up to him. 

 

"even if i'll never be good enough again, with the bullet hole through my foot?" star mumbled, sniffling in the 9 year olds neck. moonbok passed a hand gently through the older's hair, and kissed his head softly.

 

"especially with the bullet hole in your foot. it was my bullet, after all"

 

 

 

~

 

 

 

"you're aware that he will eventually find out about everything, right?"

 

changkyun lifted the blunt to his mouth and dragged deeply, holding the large mass of smoke in his mouth before releasing it between the older's welcoming lips, and leaving a wet peck at the end. jooheon chased after his boyfriend and captured his lips in a sloppy mess of tongues, too lazy to take full dominance just yet. 

 

"let him find out. i did it hoping he would, after all" jooheon murmured against the other's soft lips. he placed small pecks all over the younger's face, starting from his forehead, to his nose and jaw, and going down his neck, sucking a hickey lazily onto the soft skin. letting his hand fall in between his boyfriend's legs, he grabbed his erection and started pumping it back to life nonchalantly, his other hand leading his own member in the younger's still loose asshole, still wet with semen from just half an hour before. 

 

"how can you be so insatiable when you're high. i swear you've come in me like three times already." changkyun whined yet made no move to stop the older from lazily thrusting in him, mouth still busy leaving marks on his neck.  

 

"four. i came in you four times kyunie. you're the one that came in me three times" jooheon murmured, moving to suck on a spot right behind the younger's ear, a favourite spot of his to leave marks on. changkyun shuddered yet kept dragging from the blunt greedily, leaving a mass of smoke all over the room. jooheon thrusted as deep as he possibly could, before remaining burried balls deep, coming up to sloppily kiss his boyfriend's gasping mouth. changkyun shivered under the older like a leaf, ecstasy filling up his brain as he felt all the veins of his dick burried deeper than ever inside himself.

 

"are you kidding me? fucking lim changkyun, of all people. i knew you were a fucking snake, but i never knew you were fucking yet another fucking snake" 

 

changkyun gasped at the sight of the oldest son's of his best friend, the younger holding a familiar, bloody knife tightly in his hand, and now pointing directly at them. changkyun futilely attempted to shove his boyfriend away and cover them both, as the older remained deep inside him, and even sped up his motions on his hard erection. 

 

"whoever the fuck it might be, let them enjoy their one last show before they die" jooheon muttered, eyes staring deeply in his boyfriend's as he started moving once again, faster and faster, moves fluid and directed exactly to his prostate. 

 

"no-no, honey-ah p-please, they're lil-little boys" changkyun stuttered in between each thrust, eyes beginning to water in shame. even if he was as high as a kite, he couldn't just allow his boyfriend to keep fucking him while the kids he's known since they were born were in the same room.

 

"don't worry changkyunie hyung" star uttered smoothly. moon smiled wickedly, suddenly right behind his boyfriend. yanking jooheon's head back by his white hair, moonbok placed the knife right on his neck, leaving smudges of blood from his previous clash on the sweaty skin. jooheon finally snapped back and stopped moving all together, yet the knife started digging in his skin when he tried pulling out.

 

"no, please, jooheon-ah. you wouldn't want changkyunie here feeling empty would you?" moonbok finally spoke and changkyun gasped at the sound of his voice. jooheon remained in his place and hissed when the 9 year old dragged tighter at his white hair, merciless with his moves. "now tell me, jooheon-ah. why would you think that making shownu hyung kidnap me would be a good idea? that big bear loves me with his whole heart. he literally left me on my babysitters porch" moon continued, digging the knife even deeper, probably already breaking through his skin, when the man refused to speak. "fucking answer when being asked a question, or i'll end you right here right now. and as much as i know changkyunie hyung, or  _thought_ that i knew, better said, he's not really into necrophilia" 

 

"i needed to get to your father without you around" jooheon finally muttered, jaw clenched. 

 

"oh, jooheonie. did you think i was dangerous or something?" moonbok asked, smiling devilishly. star moved to sit besides changkyun on the bed, petting his sweaty hair creepily. "now, honey-ah, tell me one, single reason why i shouldn't slice this knife right through your throat?"

 

"i only did what i did because i loved your mother" jooheon spoke through clenched teeth. moonbok finally released his grasp and the man fell over his boyfriend once again, now covering him with his whole body protectively.

 

"you have the worst taste in lovers" moonbok muttered, wiping his knife free of blood on the bed sheets. star moved to stand besides him once again, keeping close  _just in case._ not really to protect his younger brother, but more for his younger brother to protect him if it came to it.

 

"how can you say that about your own mother. your father and you are disgusting. he killed her in cold blood and you did nothing" jooheon articulated angrily, glaring behind his back at the two boys that resembled his former lover so much.

 

"no, my father didn't killed her. she died because she was too weak to carry her third. it's a miracle that baby sun is alive and healthy, considering the feeble state of his birth giver" 

 

"stop speaking of your own mother that way, you ungrateful piece of-"

 

"she was never my mother, jooheon-ah. she gave birth to me, sure, but for the 4 years that she was alive of my life, she never came to see me once. she had 6 years of spending with my hyung too, and she never even sent a happy birthday card. we only ever had a father, one that loved us enough to compensate for that shag of a woman you wasted your life loving"

 

jooheon finally snapped and released changkyun from his protective hold, in order to face the two boys half his size. in all his naked glory he walked directly towards them, towering over them both.

 

"get any inch closer and i won't hold my brother back from slicing you open" star interjected, stopping jooheon in his tracks. 

 

"this is your first and final warning, lee jooheon. the next time you try funny business with my family and i, i won't show mercy. i'm only doing so this time because baby sun loves your boyfriend, and i bet he wouldn't want to see him all sad" moonbok looked directly in the man's eyes, not even a bit of fright in his body. moving his sight on the still naked changkyun laying in shock on the bed, the 9 year old scrunching his nose disapprovingly. "if i was you, kyunie hyung, i would choose my lovers more carefully"

 

moonbok said no other word and left the room with star trailing on his back, a satisfied grin on his face. 

 

 

 

~

 

 

 

"i will sign the papers" 

 

galaxy immediately stopped spoon feeding his youngest son and turned his head abruptly towards the door that hyungwon just came through, his lips parted in utter shock. 

 

"i'm sorry? did i hear you properly?" he asked just to make sure, awkwardly dragging his son in his lap for extra comfort, just in case he did misunderstood.

 

"i said that i will sign the papers and i'm not kidding" hyungwon reassured the older, before moving to sit on another chair from the large wood diner table. "but i have some conditions of my own, before doing so" the tall model added, crossing his arms over his chest. 

 

"if i deem your conditions as safe to follow, you have my word that i will accept them all"  galaxy nodded truthful to his words. he extended his arms , palm side up, and gesticulated encouraging for the younger man to start.

 

"very well. my first condition is that while you have their custody, i still get to see them whenever i please, and you won't tell them that you're their guardian until they're of legal age" hyungwon counted on one finger, voice serious and not leaving behind one sense of doubt.

 

"fair enough. i agree" the older nodded, and grabbed the plate and spoon from the table once again to feed his 5 year old, who started whining about being hungry once again.

 

"second of all. i desire to know all there is to know about your family, including about shin hyesoo, and especially yourself" hyungwon prompted, counting on his second finger. galaxy's hand stopped midair, spoon of mashed fruit not close enough to the small, shining boy in his lap.

 

"that's not possible" the man finally responded, his eyes avoiding the younger's. he continued with his previous actions, pleasing the 5 year old greatly when he also moved the spoon in the airplane game.

 

"then i'm not signing anything" hyungwon simply stated, crossing his hands over his chest. "i need to know everything about the man that wants to take my children away from me. from all i can see from the outside, they'll be far far away from safe. maybe i'll see things differently if i look from an inside perspective" the younger man continued, looking in between the father and his son. finally moving his whole attention to hyungwon, galaxy lifted the kid from his lap and placed him gently on the floor, right next to some bright colouring books and pretty markers. the older man sighed defeated and crossed his arms over his own chest, imitating the other man's position. 

 

"very well. but brace yourself, chae hyungwon, because once i start, there's no way of getting out"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well hello hello. fast update because this chapter and the following ones are probably the most important for this whole story and i'm way too excited about writing them. as usual, thank you so much for writing, and thank you all for the feedback! it honestly helps me writing more and better.
> 
> until next time~ much love~  
> ~MADDE


	8. EPISODE 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had to rewrite this chapter twice, so it's not as good as i would prefer it to be. literally almost only dialogue because that was needed. i'll make it up with the next chapters which are very hyungwonho related.
> 
> feedback inspires me. much love~  
> ~MADDE

"well... what are you waiting for?"

 

hyungwon frowned, confusion painted on his ethereal features. he wasn't expecting galaxy to suddenly be so open about the things he's been trying so hard to keep hidden, in the intimacy of his own private kitchen, with his youngest son lingering by their feet, under the dinning table, colouring things inappropriately (the 5 year old seemed keen on drawing all the fruits in odd colours, and while hyungwon was disturbed about the purple bananas and blue strawberries, the ceo paid it no mind). the taller man crossed his hands over his chest and laid back on the uselessly fancy dining chair, looking right in galaxy's eyes, with a spark of confidence he kept trying to keep down.

 

"your other boys. this is their story too. i need to hear it from all of you" hyungwon declared, nose held up high. galaxy scoffed at the younger's antics and muttered an inaudible 'very well', before sending a lingering bodyguard to call the other two boys. after that, the cold ceo decided to join his youngest under the table, to help him colour.

 

"sun-ah, i'm pretty sure watermelon is red inside, not yellow" hyungwon finally remarked, completely fed up with the boy's antics. the 5 year old stopped colouring and looked up at his father expectantly.

 

"baby. what do we say to people who don't let us do whatever we want?" galaxy asked his son, waiting for his answer earnestly. 

 

"that we can do whatever we want because rules are not good for us" the 5 year old spoke the mantra, words set in his brain from as early as possible. galaxy nodded proudly, wide smile on his face.

 

"and why are rules not good?" the man continued, waiting for an answer expectantly.

 

"because they make us all the same and boring" sun continued, eyes back on the drawing between his legs. he ditched the fruits in favour of drawing a big, ugly block with windows. the hotel, hyungwon guessed.

 

"yeah baby that's true. you know that watermelon are red, you just choose to make them yellow because you like that more, don't you?" galaxy asked, receiving a hurried nod in return "baby? you'd tell daddy that you can do whatever you want if he makes you follow some rules that you don't like, right?" the ceo continued, his voice suddenly a lot quieter and somehow sad. 

 

"why do i feel like that has a deeper meaning" hyungwon muttered more to himself, yet still loud enough to be heard by the other man. 

 

"because it has" galaxy sighed, rubbing at his temples frustratingly.

 

"which one of them was it" hyungwon asked boldly, trying to keep a confident facade. galaxy nuzzled his son's black wavy locks in an attempt at comforting himself. the ceo was a strange man.

 

"isn't it obvious, hyungwon-ah" galaxy muttered, his words muffled by his son's hair. it was indeed, more than obvious for hyungwon; a petty part of him just wished the older man would say it himself - he seemed like too perfect of a parent. 

 

"what did you make him do?" hyungwon decided to join the father-son duo on the ground of the diner, hoping that the intimate setting would cause the older man to speak more freely.

 

"i thought you wanted to hear everyone's part of the story individually" the ceo stated, handing his son whatever marker the kid wanted to draw with next.

 

"i do. but before that, i need to understand why your relationship with your children depends from one boy to the other" the taller man voiced expectantly, his eyes moving from the 5 year old to his father.

 

"because i was a different man every time one of them was born" galaxy expressed codified, still not completely comfortable with the topic they were speaking of. 

 

"so" hyungwon started, fiddling with the sleeves of his shirt in his lap anxiously. "what did star want do that you hated it so much and ruled it out for him?"

 

"ballet" galaxy stated completely unbothered.

 

"ballet." hyungwon repeated, confusion laced in his voice.

 

"fucking ballet" the ceo seemed pissed, not keen on keeping his language clean even with his own 5 year old right in his lap. "my first born was conceived for the only purpose of becoming my heir, yet he refused to take part in anything related to my kind of life. he wasn't even sun's age when he decided he wanted to become a ballet dancer. i agreed on it, partially. i even got him a teacher and everything, because i thought it's just a phase and it'll pass before i need someone to take over for me. every day he grew more attached to the ballet room and the pointe shoes, completely refusing to even touch a gun or take part in conferences" galaxy was looking at the ground while he spoke, most likely reliving all the dark moments in his head. "the day he turned 7, i was completely exasperated with the situation, so i made the worst thing i could have; i made him definitively choose between his ballet life and my life. i put a gun in his hand and told him to shoot his ballet teacher. he shot himself in the foot instead" the older man's face was scrunched in pain, his eyes glossy. "i couldn't even look at myself in the mirror anymore. my son, my baby boy, my little star, literally shot himself because i couldn't let him live however he desired. i swore to myself that i'll never make the same mistake with my youngest ones"

 

"is that why moon is allowed to do whatever he wants?" hyungwon asked after a few minutes of well deserved silence. galaxy sighed at the question.

 

"moon is.. a bit of a special case. when my first born refused to take part in my life, his main purpose was destroyed. i needed a backup plan, and i needed this one to work no matter what. and so, moon knew how to hurt people before he knew how to walk properly" the ceo was now looking at hyungwon, disappointment deep in his eyes "i remember when he first got attached to that black knife he keeps carrying around. he pulled it out of a body's neck while he was suckling on a pacifier"

 

"is that why he has his.. problems?" hyungwon questioned quietly, not keen on crossing any lines when he already found out so much. 

 

"yes. i caused my first son to shoot himself, and i gave my second a lifetime of emotional disturbance and selective mutism" the ceo seemed close to crying as he spoke, voice quivering and words stuttered. "i was desperate. i was completely failing at being a father, my children wouldn't talk to me - one because he hated me, the other because he couldn't - i needed something good; something pure in my life"

 

"sun" hyungwon acknowledged.

 

"yes. sun. baby sun was and is being raised properly, with all the children toys he wants, by his very loving father, away from the any kind of work, legal or not. he's as normal as one could get; he pees his bed and whines for food and colours fruits in odd colours because he desires to do so" galaxy was smiling as he spoke of his youngest, holding him closer to his chest. "and he's perfect for that. i learnt how to love all my boys when he was born. he's the glue piecing everything together"

 

"sir?" a guard suddenly popped in the kitchen, keeping a safe distance by staying by the door. "star and moon just arrived at the hotel. they sneaked out with one of the drivers without permission. moon's clothes are dirty" the guard continued words almost stuttered in fear. galaxy banged his fist on the table frustrated, causing both the guard and hyungwon to flinch. the little boy on the ground paid it no mind, completely used to the happenings in the room.

 

"what-what does that mean?" hyungwon stuttered, looking between the ceo and his employee confused.

 

"it means that i have to clean up his mess again" galaxy muttered frustrated. "bring them both here, immediately. this conversation needs to be done with now"

 

 

~

 

 

"what do you mean you went after lee jooheon by yourself? he could've killed you!" galaxy snapped as soon as he heard the news, his voice loud and intimidating. the two boys in front of him didn't seem to get intimidated in any way, though, and only puffed our their chests more, pride invading their gorgeous features.

 

"actually, father, i could have, and i almost did kill him. but hyung said i'm not allowed to" moonbok stated with a pout painted on his face, turning to glare at his older brother, arms crossed over his chest petulantly. galaxy softened and let out a silent 'thank you' to the older boy who just shrugged. he never particularly fancied blood, in comparison to his brother, so he wouldn't have let the youngest do more than he's already done anyway.

 

"moon-ah what the hell were you thinking" the man rubbed his temples frustrated. he suddenly frowned and looked back and forth between his middle born and hyungwon himself, puzzle pieces clicking into place in his mind "wait, why are you even talking right now? am i missing something?"

 

"nothing besides the fact that shownu hyung is jooheon's inside man, and he made him kidnap me. though shownu hyung is a soft fucker and brought me to hyungwon hyung, which helped me calm down about the whole thing. apparently the outside makes me more anxious than i thought it would" moonbok narrated everything, counting out events on his fingers so he wouldn't leave anything out. his words alone changed the mood of the conversation instantly, as neither star nor galaxy knew about what actually happened a few days prior.

 

"i'm gonna kill both of them i swear-" galaxy's jaw was clenched, words coming out cold and and intimidating through his teeth. star turned around furiously and started making his way towards the exit of the room, but his younger brother caught him by the hem of his shirt and dragged him back in his previous place.

 

"no you won't. shownu hyung is my personal guard and i choose what i want to do with him myself. as for jooheon, i think he'll stay put. at least for awhile" moonbok had his pointer raised, as if he was scolding his father for even thinking about ruining his plans. "who you should be concerning yourself with, is that fake snake you allowed in our lives. in sun's life. that pathetic excuse of a best friend you have" the 9 year old continued, venom laced in his voice at the thought of the traitor his father chose to be close to. moonbok always knew that changkyun wasn't who he pretended to be yet he could never prove it to his father. but moonbok always knew.

 

"changkyun" galaxy muttered confused.

 

"yes, changkyun. if you didn't know, he whines like a little bitch when he's getting fucked" moonbok added for no apparent reason other than to bother the people in the room some more, grin painted on his face.

 

"moon, your baby brother is in the room" the ceo shook his head disapprovingly. looking down at his youngest though, the boy seemed to pay no attention to the actual conversation happening in the background, still completely focused on colouring, now multiple uneven blocks. it looked like a poorly architectured city.

 

"so i'm aware. hello baby" moonbok kept the grin on his face and plopped himself down on the ground right next to his father and his younger brother. at the sight of the 9 year old, sun finally stopped drawing and jumped out of his father's lap to cling to his brother, squishing his little cheeks in the juncture of his neck lovingly. moon rubbed his back and kissed his head gently, smile never leaving his face.

 

"you. come here" now lap free, galaxy raised to his feet and pointed at his oldest who still kept an awkward distance from the rest of the people in the room. "what did i tell you about doing your brother favours? i know you're the one that got him out of the hotel" the man pointed accusedly, eyes harsh.

 

"i did it because i wanted to" star mumbled, his sight set in between his feet, unable to look directly in his father's eyes.

 

"you don't just do shit because you fucking want to, you-" galaxy started snapping, yet was interrupted by the 11 year old who finally looked up, his eyes identical to his father's.

 

"actually, father, i do do things just because i want to. you can't control me anymore" the boy snapped, and hyungwon could now understand the tense atmosphere between the two, knowing of the past.

 

"i know. i'm sorry. it's just that.." the man suddenly deflated, all venom leaving his voice. he grabbed the boy's hand and brought him closer, holding him close to his chest, head tucked under his chin. "baby, listen. any decision you make in life and in this family, you make it thrice; once for yourself, once for moon and once for baby sun. you do it once, your brother does it after watching you do it, and the baby does it because you and moon did it. how you treat your brother will tell him how he can treat the baby, and how he treats the baby will tel him how he will expect to be treated for the rest of his life" the man grabbed his sons cheeks and kissed both of them, before kissing his forehead and finally pecking his lips. "i love you more than you can imagine yeah? never forget that. i'm sorry for snapping at you" galaxy ruffled the hair at the back of the 11 year olds head, voice gentle.

 

hyungwon stared at the whole ordeal with narrow eyes. it seemed as if galaxy was still repairing the relationship he had with his oldest, even 5 years after their fighting. the ceo claimed that he loved all his children in different ways, yet hyungwon begged to differ; it was clear that he adored them all - what was different, was the way that the children themselves loved him - while sun was too young and full of love for everyone, moon was craving the attention, yet still tried keeping a safe distance, for the outside eye, trying not to seem vulnerable. star on the other hand, was the one finding it difficult to give love and receive it, all the actions in the past having caused too deep wounds for him to just ignore. hyungwon wondered if that's what will happen between him and his children when they were older.

 

"moon-ah, come here" galaxy offered his hand, and the 9 year old took it, raising to his feet. moonbok was brought in-between his father's strong arms as well, squished with his older brother lovingly "did you hurt jooheon or changkyun?" the ceo asked, looking down at his middle born with narrowed eyes, yet keeping a warm smile on his face.

 

"i didn't, but i probably ruined their sexy time" the 9 year old grinned at his own achievement. galaxy shook his head yet kissed his forehead gently.

 

"only that though, yeah?"

 

"i might have encountered some people on the way to their room" moonbok was avoiding his father's eyes yet his smile never left his face, clearly proud of his actions.

 

"any casualties?" the ceo asked looking in-between his sons. star silently raised his hand, 3 fingers held high. "alright. that's okay. please don't make plans like this without telling me, okay babies?" the man asked and got hurried nods in return. it was clear that the boys will undoubtedly repeat what they did and not tell their father. none of them seemed to actually mind that, though.

 

"wait. why is hyungwon hyung here?" moonbok turned to look at the tall man who was still on the ground next to the youngest boy.

 

"he's agreed to sign harim and raehwa over if we tell him about us" galaxy's words were as light as his smile, proud to announce the news to his sons.

 

"and you agreed to that? i'm supposed to be the mental one, daddy" moonbok frowned looking up at his father.

 

"you're not mental moon-ah. you just see and process things differently" the ceo spoke as a mantra, words he's probably said many times before, as he ruffled the 9 year and old's hair and kissed his temple gently.

 

"yes daddy, i know, i'm just special. that's what they say to all mental people" moonbok smiled sarcastically, opting to cling some more to his father by grabbing him by the neck and climbing him like a monkey. the man accepted the sudden love, and the rare opportunity for a cuddle from his middle child.

 

"so.. hyungwon hyung" star left his father's embrace and turned to look at the tall man. "what more could you possibly need to know to sign the baby cousins over? they need to be with their actual family, after all"

 

_cousins._

 

" _shin eunsoo"_   hyungwon gasped, every puzzle piece finally clicking back in place. the album, and shin moonbok, and the reason why galaxy wanted his twin children so desperately, when he had so many better options to choose from. why he vaguely recognised the woman in the album, both because he's seen her before, many many years back, but also because she roughly resembled his boss' family. why the ceo was so annoyed that hyungwon wasn't treating his children as he was supposed to, and why he wanted to meet them personally in the first place on that stupid 'bring your kids to work' day. 

 

galaxy extended his free hand, the one that wasn't holding up moonbok to his chest, and helped hyungwon rise to his feet. looking directly into the taller man's eyes, the ceo refused to let go of the hand he offered, and squeezed it harder, shaking it up and down.

 

"shin hoseok. nice to meet you, chae hyungwon" 


	9. EPISODE 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pretty useless filler chapter. it was needed so i can build up the next one properly though, where the hyungwonho realm will finally be properly explored.  
> thank you for everyone still reading. feedback helps me write better. much love~  
> ~MADDE

minhyuk was tired - he was frustrated, and disappointed, and completely baffled. 

 

but most of all, minhyuk was worried sick. 

 

almost 3 weeks have passed since he last heard of any of the chae's, father and children included. hyungwon either had his phone turned off, or he threw it in the han river (both seemed plausible enough possibilities, in minhyuk's agitated mind). harim or raehwa stopped going to school in the same period as their father completely vanished, and none of their babysitters have heard of them since, either. to say that minhyuk was worried was a severe understatement. minhyuk was extremely distraught. 

 

over 3 weeks after the family's sudden disappearance, minhyuk went to the hotel to get some answers; if his best friend's boss was as weird and obsessed as hyungwon made him to be, minhyuk had all the reasons to think that the ceo has done something to the family. when he was immediately, rudely escorted out of the hotel, after he asked about his tall best friend, his suspicions only grew. 

 

and so when minhyuk went to the hotel the second time, he knew he had to act smart about it. he booked himself a hotel room for a night, (it was a hotel, after all, they staff couldn't just kick out their clients) for a ridiculous amount of money (he better get to sleep in the best hotel he's ever slept in, take a bath in the best bathtub, and have a look out the best view of seoul) and fixed up a plan - from what minhyuk understood from all the times hyungwon called him exasperated from work, the business happening underground (literally) was much bigger than the one in plain sight - so he'd spend most of his time trying to get in the underground headquarters as well.

 

it was past 8pm when minhyuk checked himself into the hotel. if he wanted his plan to work, he had to be realistic about it, because, who really would book such an expensive hotel for another time of the day, if not pornstars or rich business man? minhyuk could fit in both categories anyway. he was (at least) politely escorted to his room, by a young, pretty bellboy (who he was unfortunately not able to get the number of - hotel policy- , but his tag read  _wonwoo_ so he hoped the name alone would be of some help in the future) and was left in the dark soon after. not patient enough to wait for the darker hours of the night, minhyuk left his room not even half an hour later, opting to take the stairs instead of the elevator, hoping he would find some discreet door that would help in some way. he was pleasantly surprised when that was exactly the case, and when he passed the ground floor, and the stairs kept going down to the basement, he found just the right thing he was looking for.

 

approaching the intimidatingly tall door, minhyuk gasped as he read the words in fancy italics written in gold.  _galaxy._

 

without giving it a second thought, minhyuk tried the handle, and was unsuccessfully left in the hallway. slapping his cheeks with the smallest force to fake some courage into himself, he knocked on the door twice, as hard as his poor knuckles would let him. not even seconds later, locks could be heard from the other side of the door, one scarier than the other. minhyuk put on a serious mask, his eyes narrowing intimidatingly as the door started opening. all that was soon erased when all he could see on the other side of the door was a child with petite features and unruly hair.

 

at the sight of minhyuk, though, the boy immediately pulled out a knife from the back of his pants, and pointed it directly at the adult's neck, his eyes fierce and murderous. at a complete loss of words, minhyuk backtracked until his back met a wall, and he knew he was fucked when the child approached him even closer, knife starting to dig in the skin of his neck. minhyuk closed his eyes and raised his arms over his head to play defeated, his breaths now coming out short, uneven and panicked. 

 

"i-i'm sorry, i'll go" minhyuk finally managed to mutter out, stuttering his words pathetically. squinting one eye open, he could see the boy looking at him with the same venom in his eyes. when the child finally made a move, it was only to slap his own thigh loudly with his free hand. minhyuk frowned, yet immediately understood it as a signal when another person came out of the room, yet even more unexpected than the first.

 

"minhyuk-ah?"

 

"hyungwon?" 

 

the two man questioned at the same time, confused looks painted on their faces. hyungwon finally seemed to process the sight and approached the two.

 

"moon-ah, it's okay. minhyuk is not dangerous" hyungwon tried, his eyes moving back and forth between minhyuk's eyes and the sharp blade pointed at his neck. finally moving his cold eyes from minhyuk, moonbok looked back at hyungwon, yet his knife remained still. the 9 year old started signing to him with his free hand, yet the only word that the tall man managed to understand was 'sun'. "no, moon-ah, i promise you that minhyuk won't hurt baby sun" hyungwon sighed, finally understanding the situation. it seemed as if none of the shin man ever cared about their own safety; it was always the baby that mattered most.

 

"yes, of course, i'd never harm a baby" minhyuk managed to let out, yet that only seemed to annoy the young boy more, blade suddenly digging harder, close to breaking skin. 

 

"moon, please. he's a good friend, and a good person. killing him would make me very sad. raehwa and harim too, he's their godfather" hyungwon pleaded, a desperate look in his eyes. scrunching up his nose and letting out a groan, much like a rabid dog would when you got too much in his territory, moon finally distanced himself from the trapped man and turned back towards hyungwon. after shoving his knife back where it was usually placed, the kid started signing again to him, before he entered the well known office, leaving the two men on the hallway. 

 

"he said you're not allowed to touch or even breathe near his little brother, or else he'll kill you with his bare hands" hyungwon awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, not expecting his best friend's sudden visit. "or something along those lines. i still can't understand all signs properly. that does sound like something moon would say, though, so.."

 

"hyungwon what the actual fuck"

 

 

 

~

 

 

 

"you mean to tell me, that you completely got wiped out from earth, along with your two children, and it was all by choice?"

 

hyungwon was rubbing his temples frustrated. minhyuk has been interrogating him for the past hour, in the restaurant area of the hotel, way too loudly wand way too offensive. whilst the area was mostly clear, given the time of night, and even if hyungwon was more or less part of the 'business' (as hoseok would say), minhyuk was still not safe enough to talk about everything so openly.

 

 "minhyuk-ah, please stop talking so loudly" hyungwon mumbled, his voice and eyes tired. 

 

"or else what, psycho kid comes out from some hole in the ground again?" minhyuk scoffed, his tone getting louder stubbornly. hyungwon silently facepalmed when a young waitress passing by stopped to look at them, frown on her face, yet she continued her way to the back quarters after hyungwon smiled at her awkwardly.

 

"minhyuk i swear, shut up, or next time moon decides that you're to be his next victim, i won't come out to help again" hyungwon muttered annoyed, taking a sip from his water (he didn't particularly like drinking, and ever since he got his job he more or less stopped drinking alcohol all together). he was off limits, but if anyone heard minhyuk talking badly about one of the ceo's children, they'd be quick to announce it to their boss for some easy money. hyungwon has seen it done many times before.

 

"very well. but i need an explanation" minhyuk finally toned it down, scowl still on his face. he laid back comfortably in the fancy chair, with his arms crossed over his chest mulishly. he reminded hyungwon of a petulant child.

 

"i'm afraid i'm unable to give you one" hyungwon sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. looking at his watch, it was past 1am. he was supposed to check on the kids for one last time at midnight and then go to sleep himself, yet it seemed that minhyuk had other plans for the night.

 

"are you fucking serious right now? after all the things i've done for you, and for harim and raehwa, you won't even tell me why you suddenly decided i wasn't important for you anymore" minhyuk was undoubtedly more than annoyed, disappointment clear in his eyes.  

 

"i can't disclose information anymore minhyuk-ah. i'm in too deep already, so deep that i can't out myself. trust me, you don't wanna find yourself in this situation as well. you need to stay out of this" hyungwon tried explaining, yet it had no effect. his best friend was fuming and he couldn't do anything about it. 

 

"what about harim? and raehwa? are they safe?" minhyuk finally asked after some awkward moments of silence. "i seriously doubt they are, with that daunting demon lurking around. i know you said that the kids you're looking after are difficult, but you didn't mention one of them was a fucking mental psychopath"

 

"moon isn't a psychopath, or a demon of any sorts. he's just misunderstood" hyungwon tried defending the boy that wasn't even present to defend himself. minhyuk didn't buy any bits of it though, scoffing right back at him.

 

after almost a full month of living with the shin's, and finding out so much more about them,  hyungwon saw things with different eyes. now he knew that galaxy slept with his youngest son every night because he was the one that couldn't sleep otherwise, not the other way around. he knew that star was the best ballet dancer he's ever seen in his entire life, and he knew that baby sun could focus all his attention in one place and ignore absolutely everything happening around him whenever he desired to. but most important of all, he knew that moonbok was a gentle soul that loves his family more than anything, and got scared of things just like any other child would. he just pretended to be cold and mean to everyone around him, so he wouldn't be crossed over. it was a good strategy, as long as moonbok didn't suffer from the lack of people around him.

 

"are you serious hyungwon? that boy literally put a knife to my neck" minhyuk stated, touching his neck tenderly, which was still a bit irritated, right where the 9 year old placed his knife. "and he doesn't even speak! that's so much more frightening. he's like a silent killer" the man continued and hyungwon had no idea if his best friend was kidding or not. considering the serious look on his face, he guessed minhyuk didn't.

 

"minhyuk, seriously, keep it down. if anyone heard you talk about that kid in such way you'd prefer him with a knife at your neck compared to what they'd do to you" hyungwon finally snapped. even if his best friend didn't take it seriously, hyungwon knew it wasn't a matter to joke about. in the month time that he's spent working for the shin's, he has witnessed many people lose their jobs (or more important things, such as body parts) or receive threats because they spoke badly of the sons of galaxy. he didn't need minhyuk to be one of those people. 

 

"is that why you're still here? why you disappeared like that? because you're scared to get out?" minhyuk questioned agitated, looking around nervously. 

 

"not exactly" hyungwon scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, not sure how to break the odd situation down to his best friend. he was a bad liar anyway, and minhyuk knew that very well. the other would read into his lies immediately, so he just opted for the candid truth, at least for this one last time.

 

"why the fuck are you still here then hyungwon" minhyuk finally snapped, his eyes turning cold once again. 

 

hyungwon tipped the glass of water down his dry throat, before raising to his feet. in seconds, a waiter came to his side and took the empty glass from his hand and made his way out of the room. hyungwon moved his chair properly under the small, round table, and played with his fingers awkwardly. 

 

"because i have to take care of my boys"

 

 

 

~

  

 

 

"chae hyungwon"

 

"shin hoseok"

 

the name still tasted foreign coming from hyungwon's mouth, yet he felt some sort of weird satisfaction every single time he got the chance to say it. he's never heard anyone call the ceo by that name, not even once in the past month that he's been living in the hotel, and being the only one to say those words made it so much better.

 

"you're not allowed to call me by that name" hoseok sighed, yet didn't seem that mad about it. if he had to guess, hyungwon thought that the older actually missed being called that. he tried calling the shin's by their actual names every time they were alone and he got the chance to, yet he only still knew the real names of half of them. hoseok refused to tell him his oldest's name, stating that it was for star to decide whether or not to tell hyungwon his birth name. as for baby sun, it seemed as if none of them wanted hyungwon to know the truth. the youngest was baby sun and that was it; none of the other shin men wanted to risk putting him in danger in any way, as minimal as it was. hyungwon guessed he had to coax the information out of the 5 year old himself, yet he still needed to fix a plan around it.

 

"but why? i like it so much better than galaxy" the taller man mumbled, cheeks tinted pink. it was not a secret that hyungwon got close to the shin boys in the month he constantly spent around them, both children and father. the staff of the hotel and the staff of the underground got used to seeing the ethereal man roaming around, and even with the gorgeous twins as well. 

 

after hoseok has revealed information about him and his family, hyungwon was supposed to sign the adoption papers; that was the plan, a simple plan that both sides agreed on. but finding himself leaning over the large desk in galaxy's office, with a pretty fountain pen in his hand, hyungwon found he couldn't do it. he couldn't sign his kids over, no matter if they were still going to family. and so, hoseok came with the solution;

 

_'how about you just come live here with us? in that way, the twins could stay safe, and educated, and with their family too. besides, you already know way too much to just get up and leave. just live here and care for my boys'_

 

and who was hyungwon to say no to that? and so the next day, the chae's packet their bags and got rooms in the private headquarters of the hotel, much like the shin's had. with a month passing by, hyungwon was content.

 

"you know why, hyungwon" hoseok added, turning the page of the book that moon was reading.

 

hyungwon found the father and son duo in their 'pretend' living room, reading (since the hotel wasn't an actual house, with the typical architecture, hoseok just ordered some couches and a huge flat screen on the opposite wall and called it a day). moonbok seemed to indulge his father's love for physical comfort and was seated between his legs, back comfortably on the adult's firm chest. hoseok was holding a book that his son seemed very interested in reading, and even changed the pages for him when the 9 year old whined about finishing his paragraph. it was a lovely sight.

 

"very, well then,  _galaxy._ but you're not allowed to call me by that name either" hyungwon stated, crossing his arms over his chest. he was still standing opposite the couch, his pretty features shining through the dim light. hoseok swore that from his seated position, hyungwon's legs seemed somehow even longer.

 

"what else would you prefer to be called by, hm?" the ceo shamelessly smirked at him. "doll?" he added, smirk breaking into a cheeky smile. it seemed as if hoseok had no problem outrageously flirting while his son was seated right in his lap. hyungwon opened his mouth to comment on the bold statement, yet right at the same time baby sun entered the room, limping cutely from the lack of walking he did (or didn't do) in his daily life.

 

"daddy, i wanna see a bull" the 5 year old immediately climbed the couch and clung to his father much like a koala, placing his small head on the adult's firm bicep, using it much like a pillow.

 

"a bull? why a bull?" hoseok asked frowning, after kissing his youngest son all over as a welcome. he didn't forget to turn the page of the book when moonbok whined at him either.

 

"because they're big and lovely and shownu hyung gave me a bull plushie and i wanna really wanna see a bull daddy" baby sun whined, lips jutted into a fat pout. 

 

"alright baby. let's see" hoseok contemplated for a few seconds, before closing the book that his other son was reading. "moon-ah? where can we find bulls?" the adult asked, ignoring the petulant whines coming from moonbok, annoyed that his reading time got interrupted. hoseok had no doubt that his son knew the answer to his question. it was moonbok, after all.

 

"uh.. spain? it is their national animal after all" the 9 year old muttered, leaving his fathers lap annoyed, taking the book with him. moonbok let the large book fall to the ground as he sat on the fluffy carpet as well, trying to find a comfortable spot to continue reading.

 

"very well. moon-ah. go tell shownu hyung to fix us flights as soon as possible" hoseok planned without a care in the world, completely giving in his youngest's wishes without thinking twice about it. moonbok sighed annoyed and shut the book loudly as well, before raising to his feet and leaving the room to search for his bodyguard.

 

"are you seriously leaving to spain to see some bulls?" hyungwon asked even if he already knew the answer. finally raising to his feet, hoseok approached him, boldly entering his personal space. leaving in to whisper in his ear, his voice darkened.

 

"pack your bags, doll. we're flying off to spain tonight"


End file.
